The 40km/h zone in the Cairns CBD will be expanded next week to include the section south of Spence St to Wharf St, including Sheridan, Grafton, Lake, Abbott and Hartley streets. (See map below).
The success of a 40km/h traffic speed limit in the Cairns CBD, which was introduced in early 2019, has driven further expansion of the speed limit zone.
Data presented to Council showed casualties due to vehicle crashes fell overall by 21.6% since the introduction of the 40km/h traffic speed limit, and cyclist and pedestrian casualties have reduced by 36%.
This represents a $2.5 million saving in costs to the community according to a Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) economic assessment of incident related cost reductions to the community.
Existing 40 km/h speed limits in the CBD and the low-speed zones in Lake St and the Cairns Esplanade will remain unchanged.
This project is the result of a partnership between the Queensland Government and Cairns Regional Council, with funding provided through TMR's Vulnerable Road Users Program (VRUP).
