About
We're testing speed limit reductions in Augusta Margaret River to save lives and prevent serious injuries on local roads.
The Safer Speeds Trial is a partnership between the Shire of Augusta Margaret River and RAC, with support from Main Roads WA.
Approximately 550 roads will have their speed limits reduced. By using a holistic, area-wide approach there will be a consistent reduction of speed limits across similar road types.
Following detailed planning and community consultation conducted over recent years, the initiative is being implemented in the Shire of Augusta Margaret River in 2025.
Why reduce speeds?
Reducing speed limits decreases the risk of people being killed or seriously injured on our roads.
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Real people are impacted by road trauma59 people were killed or seriously injured in the Shire of Augusta Margaret River between 2019 and 2023.
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Speed is a leading factorAccording to the WA Road Safety Commission, speed is the number one cause of car crashes.
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Even good drivers make mistakesThe faster you’re driving, the more likely you are to crash and suffer life-changing or fatal injuries.
The facts on safer speeds
- Decreasing your speed decreases your stopping distance, giving you more time to react to a mistake or an unexpected hazard.
- If you do crash, a lower impact speed means a much lower impact force, reducing the risk of serious injury or death.
- A 10 per cent decrease in speed typically reduces deaths and serious injuries by up to 30 per cent in high-speed environments.
Explore Changes
A small increase to your journey. A big difference for road safety.
The negative impacts of lower speeds are often overestimated while the positive road safety benefits are often overlooked.
We put four typical routes to the test to show the impact on journey times.
Increases in travel times ranged between nine seconds and one and a half minutes.
NOTE: This map is best viewed on a desktop device. If viewing on a mobile device, landscape mode may function better.
While best efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the speed limit information shown on this map, if you are driving on these roads then you should rely on roadside signage to determine the current legal speed limit.
GOALS
Reducing speed limits aims to...
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Create safer roads with fewer crashes. -
Reduce the risk of serious injury or death. -
Make town centres safer and more welcoming for people and businesses.
Community engagement
Listening to the community
In 2022, the community were invited to nominate roads they felt required a speed limit reduction. This helped inform the final list of proposed reductions.
In late 2024, community consultation on the proposed reductions was undertaken. On average across all road types, 58 per cent of respondents supported reducing speed limits.
Read the 2024 report on community consultation.
"I have four grandchildren, who are all young, they love walking down to the beach. I'm terrified on the roads here. These new speed reductions will make it much safer for them."
Richard Muirhead
Gracetown Cowaramup Bay Community Inc.
See what others are saying
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"The surf's always going to be there. Doesn’t matter if you are a minute or two later. Safety comes first."Find out more about ""The surf's always going to be there. Doesn’t matter if you are a minute or two later. Safety comes first.""Bronte Macaulay - Pro Surfer
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"More than half of our missions are road crashes, and all too often speed is a major contributor."Find out more about ""More than half of our missions are road crashes, and all too often speed is a major contributor.""Josh Peel - RAC Rescue Air Crew Officer
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"I'd love to see the speed limits in the region lowered so that we could reduce the number of wildlife being impacted by vehicles."Find out more about ""I'd love to see the speed limits in the region lowered so that we could reduce the number of wildlife being impacted by vehicles.""Suzi Strapp - President of FAWNA
Contact us
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Your say: Shire of Augusta Margaret RiverFind out more about "Your say: Shire of Augusta Margaret River"
FAQs
Reductions to speed limits commenced in May 2025, with new speed limit signs expected to be installed over several months.
This will be an area-wide, holistic approach focusing on local roads in the Shire of Augusta Margaret River.
Arterial, state government-managed roads are excluded from the Trial (with the exception of a couple of very short stretches of Bussell Highway).
Approximately 550 roads in the Shire of Augusta Margaret River will have their limits reduced. View the interactive map on this website to explore the changes.
A six-week community consultation period was undertaken between October and November in 2022. Community members were asked to nominate roads in the trial area and explain why they felt those roads could become safer through speed limit reductions.
Further community feedback was sought by the Shire of Augusta Margaret River between 7 October and 4 November 2024 on the detailed proposals for the speed limit reductions.
Community feedback has been carefully considered in deciding how the Trial will be implemented.
Comprehensive evaluations will take place 12 months after commencement and then after 3 years.
A specialist transport consultancy will conduct the evaluation.
Key metrics that would be monitored evaluated and reported on include:
Crash reduction
Speed / crash risk reduction
Community perceptions
Benefits beyond safety
Adverse impacts
Many South West communities are recognising the importance of lowering speed limits.
Over recent years, speed limits have been reduced to 40km/h on the main streets of Margaret River, Cowaramup and Witchcliffe.
In June 2022, following a community campaign, Main Roads reduced the speed limit on the Capel section of Bussell Highway from 110km/h to 80km/h.
In April 2021, the speed limit on Caves Road was permanently reduced from 90km/h to 80km/h on four sections between Yallingup and Margaret River.
In 2023, speed limit reductions were introduced in an area west of Margaret River, after a tragic fatal crash on Kevill Road. The road, and many of the surrounding roads, were changed from 110km/h to 70km/h.
The Safer Speeds Trial is a partnership between the Shire of Augusta Margaret River and RAC, with implementation support from Main Roads WA and WA Police.
Speciality technical advice has been provided by consultant PJA.
The Trial had initially also included City of Busselton however the final implementation of speed limit reductions will be focused on roads within the Shire of Augusta Margaret River only.