Break O’Day Council will on Monday night consider slashing the speed limit on St Helens’ main street from 50km/h to 40km/h.
Deputy mayor Kristi Chapple is urging the council to petition the state government to lower the speed limit on Cecilia Street.
The motion targets the busy stretch of the Tasman Highway between Golden Fleece Bridge and Tully Street in the CBD.
“At 40km/h, a mistake is a ‘fright’. At 50km/h, a mistake is a ‘fatality’,” Chapple said in her submission to council.
“We have a moral obligation to choose the former.”
She argued the current speed limit creates a “hostile” environment for pedestrians, particularly during peak tourist seasons.
“Anyone who has driven through St Helens during the Christmas break or the Easter holidays knows exactly what I am talking about,” she said.
“It is not just a road, it is a shared space.”
“We have tourists towing caravans looking for parking, locals running errands and families with young children trying to cross the road.”
But the push is about more than just changing a sign.
Chapple said current engineering standards make it nearly impossible to install pedestrian safety refuges or zebra crossings on 50km/h roads because stopping distances are too long.
Dropping to 40km/h would “unlock” the ability to build these safety features.
“We give our engineers the green light to physically make the road safer,” she said.
Chapple said a slower speed limit would also benefit local businesses by making the town centre more walkable.
If councillors support the motion, a formal report will be prepared before any petition is sent to the Department of State Growth.
The council meets at 10am on Monday.
