30km/h speed limit trial

View the map of 30km/h speed limit trial streets in Stonnington on Google maps 

If you would like to discuss the trial or your experience using the trial streets with council officers, please call Nuno Pires – Coordinator, Transport Planning on 8290 1333 or email transportplanning@stonnington.vic.gov.au.

To support riders, walkers and drivers

When people are travelling in different ways, unexpected moments can happen quickly - someone crossing the road, a cyclist entering a driveway or a vehicle turning a corner.

Speed can make a difference when these moments occur. Research shows that when a person walking is hit by a vehicle travelling at 30 km/h, their chance of surviving is around 90%. At 40 km/h this drops to 60%, and at 50 km/h to around 10%.

Lower speeds give everyone more time to respond and reduce the severity of a crash if it happens. A safer street is better for the person walking, the person riding and the person behind the wheel.

Why road safety matters in Stonnington

More than 1,500 crashes were recorded in our city between 2000 and 2024, including 7 fatalities and 564 serious injuries. Across Stonnington, 60% of fatal and serious injury crashes involved pedestrians, cyclists or motorcyclists.

As part of this trial, we have looked at Victorian Government crash data from other areas where a 30 km/h speed limit has been introduced. The data shows a 51% reduction in all crashes and a 70% reduction in serious crashes in those locations.

Our commitment to safety

The trial is one of the ways Council is working to improve road safety across Stonnington. It forms part of our Road Safety Improvement Program.

The trial is funded by the Victorian Government through the Safe Local Roads and Streets Program, which is investing $214 million to support projects that make local roads and streets safer across Victoria.

Through Council’s Road Safety Improvement Plan consultation in 2025, we heard from the community about their experiences and concerns travelling around our streets, as well as opportunities to improve safety.

This consultation helped shape the locations and approach for this trial, while highlighting the different experiences and perspectives we need to consider as we assess how the trial works in practice.

We'll continue listening to the community throughout the trial through:

• An open-ended survey on Connect Stonnington, where you can share your experiences and observations.  

We've included streets that are located near key community destinations. The following areas will give us an opportunity to understand how lower speed limits work in different neighbourhood settings.

Schools

Our 2025 School Travel Survey found that 75% of respondents identified road safety as a key reason children don’t walk or ride to school.

The trial will help us assess whether a lower speed limit can support safer and more comfortable journeys for children and families travelling to and from school.

Bike routes

Some streets form part of cycling routes used by people travelling around Stonnington for work, school and everyday trips.

The trial will help us explore how a lower speed limit affects people riding bikes and how different road users share local streets. Across Stonnington, 60% of fatal and serious injury crashes involved pedestrians, cyclists or motorcyclists.

Shopping areas

Part of Chapel Street is included in the trial. As one of Stonnington's busiest activity areas, it will help us understand how a lower speed limit may affect different ways people experience and move through the street.

Over the past 5 years, Chapel Street has been identified as one of Melbourne's highest-risk streets for cyclists. The average travel speed on Chapel Street is currently around 27 km/h, showing that traffic conditions, congestion and other factors already influence how people move through the area.

The purpose of the trial is to gather evidence about how a lower speed limit works on local streets. We need to understand how the change performs over time, instead of at one point in time.

Over 18 months, we can consider how people use the streets during different times of the year, including school terms, holidays, peak hour traffic and weekends. This gives us a more complete picture of how the change affects traffic speeds, road safety and people’s experiences of using the street.

We know that even small changes to travel times can be important, especially for people who use these streets every day. Research by RMIT University looked at what could happen if residential streets across Greater Melbourne changed from 50 km/h to 30 km/h. It found that:

• local trips may take around one minute longer on average.  

• most people’s overall journey times would change very little.  

• lower speeds can help create safer streets without significantly affecting how long most trips take. 

• you can read more about the findings on RMIT University's website.

We’re trialling changes along this local bike route to understand how traffic calming measures can improve safety for bike riders.

These measures are designed to encourage slower vehicle speeds and create a safer environment for everyone using the street, including:

• Speed cushions to help slow vehicles along the route and near intersections.  

Over the 18-month trial, we'll look at:

• the number of people driving, walking wheeling or riding
• feelings of safety and comfort among people who walk, wheel and ride in the street
• vehicle speeds and travel times
• interactions and near misses
• air quality and noise levels in the area.

People who live, work or travel through the area will also have opportunities to share their experiences through surveys.

This information will help us understand what is working, what could be improved and the impacts of the change.

No. At some points during the trial, traffic monitoring sensors will be on streets to collect accurate data and allow us to compare how the street is used before, during and after the trial.

The sensors do not have cameras and do not capture any audio or visual data. Signs are installed on the poles to identify the location of our sensors and explain their purpose.

The data collected will include:

• the number of vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians using the street
• vehicle and cyclist speeds
• interactions and near misses.

No decision has been made about whether the 30 km/h speed limit will remain after the trial.

Under the Victorian Government's Speed Zoning Policy, 30 km/h speed limits can currently only be introduced as part of an approved trial.

This trial is supported by the Department of Transport and Planning and the Transport Accident Commission (TAC). It will help build evidence about how lower speed limits affect safety, travel and people's experiences on local streets.

Together with other trials across Victoria, the findings will help build evidence to inform future road safety policies and decisions about where 30 km/h speed limits may be suitable.

At the end of the trial, Council will consider the findings and provide a recommendation to the Department of Transport and Planning about the future of the speed limit on the trial streets.