Western Australia's Shire of Augusta-Margaret River is set to launch a major three-year speed reduction trial across 550 local roads in a bid to reduce serious crashes and road deaths. The initiative, which follows unanimous council support, forms part of a larger speed management effort spanning 1,800 roads when combined with a pending decision from the City of Busselton.
Dylan Anderson
Australia’s Largest Speed Reduction Trial
The initiative marks the largest speed limit reduction trial in Australian history, targeting two of the nation’s busiest regional tourist regions. Reductions will vary, but all impacted roads will experience speed limit cuts of at least 10kph.
The trial comes amid rising concern over road safety across the state. In the past week alone, 11 people have died on WA roads. From 2019 to 2023, more than 190 people were killed or seriously injured in the Augusta-Margaret River and Busselton areas alone.
Minimal Delays, Maximum Safety
Shire President Julia Meldrum said the average added commute time is just over one minute.
"There were concerns raised that this would increase the time to get to work, but really it is not that much extra time to keep you safe on our roads," she said.
The data-backed trial is part of a broader strategy to align local road safety policies with national road toll reduction targets.
National Focus on Speed Management
The decision comes shortly after Margaret River hosted over 200 national and international transport experts at a major road safety summit. David McTiernan of the National Transport Research Organisation said the link between speed and road trauma is well established.
"Speed is a factor in the likelihood of a crash, and also the severity of a crash when it occurs," McTiernan said. "This is about saving lives, not slowing people down for the sake of it."
He added that local governments hold critical responsibility for managing their road networks and ensuring community safety.
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Lessons from Victoria
The trial builds on the success of Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula Safer Speeds trial, which lowered speeds by up to 20kph on 33 high-risk roads. That initiative recorded a notable decline in crashes, thanks in part to strong public engagement and communication.
Community consultation in Augusta-Margaret River revealed that over 70 per cent of respondents supported the trial once its safety goals were explained.
Premier Signals Broader Interest
WA Premier Roger Cook confirmed the state government is closely monitoring the trial’s progress.
"We are certainly very interested in the outcomes of that particular trial," he said. "It will provide data and evidence, and that's the basis upon which we want to bring new road safety measures in place."
Pending approval by the City of Busselton in late April, the trial is expected to begin before the end of the year, covering roads across regional WA holiday destinations and delivering insights for future safety reforms.
Dylan Anderson
Dylan Anderson
