About
This three year trial would test speed limit reductions across Busselton and Augusta Margaret River to help prevent serious injuries and deaths on our roads.
The Safer Speeds Trial is proposed to commence early 2025 and is a partnership between City of Busselton, Shire of Augusta Margaret River and RAC, with support from Main Roads WA.
The Trial will use a holistic, area-wide approach, which means there will be a consistent reduction of speed limits across similar road types. Approximately 1,800 roads would be affected.
Why reduce speeds?
Reducing speed limits decreases the risk of people being seriously injured or killed on our roads.
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More than 190 people were killed or seriously injured on roads in the City of Busselton and Shire of Augusta Margaret River, between 2019 and 2023. -
Due to the increase in tourism and development in the South West, the roads have become busier – meaning there’s a higher risk of crashes. -
Even good drivers make mistakes. The 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.
62 seconds = Average increase in driving time.
Sixteen typical routes were put to the test to show the impact on travel times.
Explore Changes
NOTE: This map is best viewed on a desktop device.
The existing speed limits shown on this map are based on the best available data when the proposals were developed earlier this year.
However, 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 Nominations
Listening to the community
In recent years there has been an increase in residents and groups calling for action on speed limits in the South West. In November 2022, the community submitted more than 200 nominations for locations where they felt a speed limit reduction was required.
"It can’t be 60/80 on Wildwood and 90 on Caves Rd but 110 on Chain Ave. Even with the drain filled in, Chain Ave is narrow, rough and carrying dozens of sand trucks an hour."
Comment made during community engagement (2022)
Get Involved
Consultation has concluded
Community consultation on the detailed proposals for speed limit reductions was undertaken from 7 October to 4 November 2024. Please visit the relevant Your Say page for the latest information.
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Your Say: City of BusseltonFind out more about "Your Say: City of Busselton"
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Your Say: Shire of Augusta Margaret RiverFind out more about "Your Say: Shire of Augusta Margaret River"
FAQs
The Trial is proposed to start in early 2025, with new speed limit signs being installed throughout the Trial area over approximately 6 months.
The Trial is proposed to run for around three years.
This would be an area-wide, holistic approach focusing on local roads in the City of Busselton and Shire of Augusta Margaret River. This includes high-speed roads west of Bussell Highway and roads in all major towns.
Arterial, state government-managed roads are excluded from the Trial (with the exception of a small stretch of Bussell Highway within Augusta).
Approximately 550 roads in the Shire of Augusta Margaret River and 1,250 roads in the City of Busselton would be affected.
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.
Between the City of Busselton and the Shire of Augusta Margaret River, there were more than 200 nominations.
Further community feedback was sought by each local government between 7 October and 4 November 2024 on the detailed proposals for the speed limit reductions.
Community feedback will be considered by each local government Council to help them decide how the Trial should be implemented.
Comprehensive evaluations would take place 12 months after the Trial commences and then after 3 years.
The results would determine the Trial’s success and whether the proposed speeds should be retained, returned to their previous speed or a combination of both.
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 and in central areas of Dunsborough and Yallingup.
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.
Last year, 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.