New speed limits have begun rolling out in the Shire of Augusta Margaret River this week as part of a road safety trial designed to prevent crashes, serious injuries and deaths on local roads.
The Safer Speeds Trial is a partnership between the Shire of Augusta Margaret River and RAC with support from Main Roads and adopts a holistic area-wide approach to speed limit setting.
As part of the trial around 550 local roads will have their speed limits reduced.
RAC Group Executive Social and Community Impact Terry Durant said implementation of the trial was a significant milestone that followed detailed planning and community consultation.
“The Safer Speeds Trial is leading the way in creating safer roads with fewer crashes, reducing the risk of serious injury and death and making town centres safer and more welcoming,” Ms Durant said.
“We congratulate the Shire of Augusta Margaret River for their leadership on this trial and also thank Main Roads for their implementation support – working together we aim to make a real difference in road safety.”
Shire President Julia Meldrum said the trial launch marked an important step in improving local road safety.
“Our community showed strong support for this initiative, and we’re pleased to see it move into the implementation phase,” Ms Meldrum said.
“While the trial may result in a slight increase in travel times – on average just over a minute – the safety benefits far outweigh the inconvenience. This is about saving lives and making our roads safer.”
Installation of new speed limit signs commenced this week and will continue over the next few months.
Drivers should check for new speed signs and take care around workers installing signage.
Comprehensive evaluations, through community feedback, traffic speed data and crash data analysis, will take place after 12 months and again after three years.
For more information, visit the Safer Speeds Trial website.
ENDS
Media contact: RAC media team, 0401 703 719 or media@rac.com.au
