COMMUNITY ROAD SAFETY NOMINEES
PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLE NETWORK IMPROVEMENT PLAN - BLI BLI STATE SCHOOL PRECINCT
BROADBEACH 30 KM/H AREA SPEED ZONE
Sunshine Coast Council and Sidelines Traffic
Implemented in mid-2021, the Broadbeach 30km/h area speed zone is the first ever 30km/h area-wide speed zone in South East Queensland.
The purpose of this project was to identify barriers in walking and cycling networks around a local state school, and to identify solutions to overcome these barriers. To identify the barriers, a fast and targeted consultation process with parents and caregivers at the school was developed. An online survey including heat map questions captured very specific data about where safer infrastructure was needed. This data is easy to interpret and communicate and provides a solid foundation for justifying future investments. It captures actual user concerns and experience, and is considered a more accurate method than relying on practitioner judgements or feedback from a small number of stakeholders to identify solutions and prioritise works. The project provides an excellent example of how the Safe System Approach to road safety can be used to prioritise road safety projects and to develop countermeausres. In this project, priority was given to projects that could more effectively reduce the chance of crashes likely to result in deaths or serious injuries. Solutions were developed that focussed on separating vulnerable users where possible and reducing vehicle speeds, to below critical impacts speeds at locations where school children needed to cross roads. An interesting finding, was that locations identified by parents and caregivers as being unsafe, also generally scored porely using Safe System criteria. This project is a great demonstration of how community input can be used to plan and prioritise road safety infrastructure, consistent with road safety technical guidance.
City of Gold Coast
The Gold Coast Transport Strategy 2031 and supporting modal plans provide actions to support national objectives to encourage a safer transport system that promotes the uptake of active travel. This project supports the vision of the City’s Active Transport Plan 2017-27 to provide a connected and safe transport network that helps make walking and cycling attractive alternatives to car travel. The project is an example of a best practice solution that contributes towards high quality, safer facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. This assists in achieving an active travel network that increases the likelihood of pedestrian and cycling activity. The speed limit reduction was applied to five streets which form part of Broadbeach’s central business and tourist centre and is defined by the area bounded by Surf Parade, Queensland Avenue, Old Burleigh Road and Charles Avenue. The area was identified as a high active transport user area which previously had 40km/h and 50km/h speed limits. The City reviews speed limits on its road network in accordance with Queensland Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices. This incorporates consideration and endorsement by the local Speed Management Committee (SMC) which includes representatives from the Queensland Police Service (QPS), the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), the City of Gold Coast and the Royal Automotive Club of Queensland (RACQ) who each have a strategic and operational interest in the setting of speed limits.
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