The City of Launceston's application to lower speed limits on some of Launceston's roads has this week been confirmed by the State's Transport Commissioner, following a unanimous Council decision in June.
The Council expects to begin implementation of the lowered speed limits during the September school holidays, with the roll-out of new speed limit signage on the nominated roads. The changes are aimed at improving road safety, enhancing roadside culture and achieving consistency in travel speeds.
Public consultation was undertaken on the proposed changes earlier this year, with the majority of those surveyed in favour of lowered speed limits. Tasmania Police, the Road Safety Advisory Council, the Department of State Growth, the RACT, Metro Tasmania and the Tasmanian Transport Council all indicated their support for the move.
Speed limits will be lowered on the following Launceston roads:
Reductions from 60km/h to 50km/h:
• Bathurst Street
• Wellington Street — between William and Howick Streets
• High Street — between David and Arthur streets
• Invermay Road — between Forster Street and Vermont Road
• Elphin Road, Penquite Road and Hoblers Bridge Road, near the Newstead Shopping Centre.
Reductions from 50km/h to 40km/h:
• Launceston CBD area bordered by Cimitiere, York, Wellington and Tamar Streets
• Mowbray Shopping Centre, Invermay Road between Vermont Road and Haig Street
• Kings Meadows shopping centre, Hobart Road between Riseley Street and Opossum Road.
Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood said the new speed limits would come into effect once new road signage had been installed on the affected roads.
"There are currently 20 urban roads in Launceston that have a 60kmh speed limit," Mayor Garwood said.
"Five of these will be lowered to 50kmh as part of this process, while a 40kmh speed limit will be in place for busier shopping and business areas in the Launceston CBD, Mowbray and Kings Meadows.
"I totally understand some of the commentary around these changes, but in my short time as Mayor, I have already seen two accidents from out the window here in Town Hall.
"For the sake of improving road safety, and our roadside culture, these decreases add a total of around three seconds to travel time.
"As we move forward as a community, we're hopeful that these changes better reflect a realistic speed limit for these roads, based on the mix of traffic, the presence of pedestrians, the density of adjoining development and the complexity of traffic movements."
