Unfortunately this study starts from the premise that there is a problem and that the ACT Assembly motion is the solution. The consultant’s reports clearly states its bias - Investigation to Reduce Speed Limits Around Shopping Centres and Community Facilities. The study is lacking any objective rigour.

The report’s background provides an overview and states that ‘road crashes remain a significant issue for ACT residents’ and states that ‘shopping centres and community facilities can be areas of high risk’.

Unfortunately, what is missing is any data on the incidence of vehicle accidents and injury in these shopping and community facilities in Canberra. Elsewhere, a range of statistical data is presented to support the hypotheses that vehicle speed can and do cause a range of injuries to pedestrians and cyclists, depending on speed. However, without a correlation to shopping areas and community facilities in Canberra, this data is not particularly relevant to this investigation. Without such empirical data, the significance of the issue being addressed is missing, as is any future objective evaluation of how successful any remediation action has been.

As the report notes, Canberra is different as it does not have ‘shopping strips’ but rather it has centres. Notwithstanding, a logic leap is made to assess Canberra’s need based on the unrelated hypothesis of accidents relevant to linear shopping areas prevalent in other cities. Of course linear shopping strips in other cities are generally build on major roads and shoppers regular cross the busy road to access the shops on either side and invariably do have pedestrian and cyclist accidents.

The discussion of risks seems to be predicated on interstate experience and planning parameters. Of course Canberra’s planning has avoided the use of the shopping strip and provided a range of highly developed pedestrian and cyclist access to shopping centres that avoid or minimise interaction with the road network. The report does not acknowledge such planning nor provide any assessment on how much these planning outcomes may have mitigated the risks to pedestrian and cyclists experienced in other cities.

The report also draws upon interstate experience where reduced speed limits have been introduced or are being trialled in areas of high pedestrian activity, but the report does note that that term remains undefined in these jurisdictions.

The report performs its logic leap when it links reduced injuries at lower speeds to pedestrians and cyclist in town, group and local centres without any analysis of the differences between strip and shopping centres. The report’s only concession to the Canberra arrangements is the comment that the

Shopping centres in the ACT are typically arranged offline and not along busy roadways and therefore may be better suited to the establishment of 40 km/h precincts, rather than applying a 40 km/h speed limit along the length of individual streets.

That is the entire rationale and justification for applying it to the streets that are collocated with any Canberra shopping centre.

The report, without any robust discussion adopts a proposal for the introduction of reduced speeds around town and group centres. The use of precincts in lieu of shopping strips is seen as a convenient mechanism to support what appears to be a pre-determined outcome.

The report seems to overlook the existing use of traffic calming devices and their impact on speed and whether a change in the speed limit is required – it appears a one size fits all will be the norm.

If taken as proposed, the Weston Creek area will see a 40kph speed zone placed on all roads bounded by Hindmarsh, Streeton and Namatjira Drive. Furthermore, some justification could be used to extend the speed zone around Mirinjani Village. Cooleman Court has in Brierly Street, both a roundabout and pedestrian crossing that calm traffic and moderate speeds.

Local shopping centres seem to have escaped the requirement for the introduction of enforced 40 km/h speed zones within the report.

The Investigation states that the adoption of its measures ‘... will result in improved safety for pedestrians and cyclist’ but provides no objective measures on how the result can be judged. Very much a report focused on supporting the predetermined outcome of those that commissioned it.

This proposal is ridiculous. The ACT Government, under pressure by the Greens, is becoming more and more anti-car.

What evidence is there that 60 km in is unsafe? Where are the accident statistics? This will turn people into 'scofflaw's' who will continue to drive at 60 mph.

What we need in the ACT are single electorates to represent the residents directly.

I support a 40kph limit. I live in Backler Pl which is on the southern side of Parkinson St. To walk across Parkinson St anywhere between the Irish Club and Cooleman Court is quite dangerous, made more so by the curve in the road making it difficult to see approaching cars. So I highly recommend a 40kph limit on Parkinson St before someone does become a statistic.