The speed of motor traffic on shared roads is a critical safety factor for cyclists. It is widely recognised (by authorities from the World Health Organisation to the European Transport Safety Council) that a reduction in collision speed from the standard Australian local road speed limit of 50 km/h to the now standard European local road speed limit of 30 km/h reduces the probability of death or serious injury dramatically.

In April 2009 Brisbane City Council reduced the CBD speed limit to 40 km/h on all streets except Turbot and Ann Street. This has made the CBD streets significantly safer for cyclists and allow a greater range of cyclists to be able to use our roads to move around the CBD, while having very little impact on motor traffic.

We will continue to push for a widening of the CBD 40 km/hr zone to suitable adjoining areas (such as New Farm and West End), and for speed limits generally to be reduced to be more in line with the European model.

Correspondence

• Interim letter from BCC – Traffic and Transport Branch (19 December 2008)
• Letter from Lord Mayor (5 December 2008)
• Letter to BCC Principal engineer (9 December 2008)
• Letter of support to Lord Mayor Campbell Newman (31 October 2008)
• Lord Mayor interim response (6 November 2008)
• Response from BCC (28 November 2008) (28 November 2008)
• Media release: Reduced Brisbane CBD speed limit long overdue (5 October 2008) ( PDF, 68 kB)