Source : the age
Prior to a low switch, the Cairns CBD was one of Queensland’s most dangerous areas to ride a bicycle or walk.
On a number of inner-city roads in 2019, the speed limit was reduced from 50 to 40 km/h.
Bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities had decreased by 36 % in just two years.
The Cairns instance was one of several in a statement that Roads Australia will release on Wednesday that may call for urgent action to reduce the country’s road toll.
Aplin and Abbott Streets had the highest number of serious injuries or deaths of all 50km/h streets in Queensland prior to the changes in Cairns ‘ CBD.
In Cairns ‘ CBD, 171 people died between 2013 and 2017, including one accident. More cars passing by and more tourists were present in the area, surpassing Fortitude Valley and Surfers Paradise.
The majority of the casualties occurred during pleasant weather and daylight, and the majority of them were caused by drunk drivers ( 3 % ) and drivers ( 45 % ) were licensed in Queensland.
According to local Brynn Mathews, some roads have been made with great success.
Where it ends, you go back to the bad old days of two paths each manner, no place for bikers, and you get slammed up against parked vehicles, according to Mathews from the Cairns Bicycle User Group.
The number of casualties on the roads have increased over the past five decades, putting the federal government’s goal of halving the death toll by 2030 in jeopardize.
On nearby roads, almost one in four mortality occurred, and last year, nearly 20 % more people died on roads with a 50 km/h speed limit.
In comparison to 2024, pedestrian deaths on the roads increased by 13 % and cyclist deaths by 32 %, respectively.
Ehssan Veiszadeh, CEO of Roads Australia, stated that it was urgently necessary to reevaluate how urban roads were built and operated.
These deaths are not just statistics; they are the deaths of parents, friends, and kids who rarely returned home from a typical trip to the shops, class, or place of employment, he said.
A commuter struck by a car has about a 90 per cent chance of dying at 50 km/h.
The risk decreases to about 40 % at 40 km/h, and only 10 % at 30 km/h. ”
