WalkSydney is sad to understand that the speed limit in the Liverpool CBD will be increased from 30km/h to 40km/h after Mayor Ned Mannoun made it his mission to go back to a 40km/h speed limit.
His 100 day vision included the removal of the safe 30km/h speed limits in the CBD as well as
Creating 500 extra car spaces in the Liverpool CBD
Improving public spaces and parks, roads and footpaths
Focusing on reducing traffic and congestion
We saw a significant decline in injuries during the Liverpool trial.
Since the 30km/h speed limits were introduced, only eight people have been injured, including two serious injuries, compared to 23 injuries and five serious injuries in the preceding 12 months. From a safety perspective, the trial has been a fantastic success. Increasing the speed limit will mean more people will end up in hospital and we can assume that someone will be killed or seriously injured in Liverpool as a consequence.
Please find our joint media release with some suggestions what went wrong in the trial and how to do it better next time below.
Lena is the founder of 30Please.org. She grew up on a quiet residential street in Germany, where 30km/h speed limits were implemented in the 80’s. From 6 years old, all children in the neighbourhood either walked or cycled to school. It was normal for children to play on the streets. Lena believes Australia needs to experience lower speed limits to grasp the positive effect on everyone’s day to day life and make it finally possible for all Australians to appreciate walking and cycling as a mode of transport, not just a recreational activity.
Before moving to Australia in October in 2019, Lena has had a successful career working in senior positions for major investment banks in London. The COVID19 crisis, gave her time to reflect upon contributions she could make to society so she decided to dedicate time to launch 30Please.org.
Inspired by the successful 20’s Plenty for Us campaign from the UK and by a research paper calling to reduce the default speed limit of 50km/h to 30km/h published by the British Academy “If you could do one thing…” https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/cdn-nrspp/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/03/21123659/dannydorling_publication_id3924.pdf Lena decided to campaign for lower speed limits. This is a science-backed low-cost measure that would save lives, prevent injuries, reduce health inequalities, reduce air pollution and CO2 emissions, promote stronger communities, enable more walking and cycling and reduce obesity.
Lena lives in Wollongong council and started her campaign in her local neighbourhood. https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/6789059/illawarra-motorists-back-a-cut-to-speed-limits-in-residential-areas/
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