2025/01/02 by Lauren Pearson, Megan Oakey, Breanna Nelson +3 · 1 voice
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Engineering · Social Sciences · #Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life #Traffic control and management #Transportation Planning and Optimization
paper · doi:10.1080/23748834.2024.2439642
openalex publication_date 2025/01/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/14
30 km/h speed zones are one of the most cost-effective road safety interventions to enhance the safety and liveability of local streets. However, only two zones are currently implemented in the state of Victoria, Australia, and these zones are not widely adopted across Australia. Greater understanding of the barriers to implementation is needed to rapidly advance implementation of this effective road safety intervention. We aimed to identify and explore barriers and enablers of implementation of 30 km/h speed limits in the state of Victoria, Australia, and compare this to implementation in an area where 30 km/h speed zones have been implemented successfully – British Columbia, Canada. We conducted 26 semi-structured interviews with relevant policy partners. Data were analysed abductively through reflexive thematic analysis. Six key themes were identified: (i) Appetite for change; (ii) Policy misalignment; (iii) Lack of local evidence; (iv) Council capacity; (v) Need for ‘self-explaining’ roads, and (vi) Equity lessons in implementation. We demonstrated momentum and support for 30 km/h speed zones. However, state government policy reform is needed to enable easier implementation by local councils. This study provides critical insights into the complexity of implementing road safety interventions and opportunities to enhance systems to catalyse change.