Local street speed management in Australia—is it “traffic calming”?

Abstract

A small sample of recent developments in local speed management and safety in Australia is outlined to illustrate conclusions about practice and assessment. This experience seems to support the effectiveness of devices in lowering speeds and reducing accidents, but there is still generally a lack of adequate monitoring and evaluation. Speeds in new residential areas require attention in the planning and design stages; some current fads in neighbourhood planning threaten to perpetuate old traffic problems. The current use of the term traffic calming to mean reduction of car travel demand rather than restraint on driver behaviour and route choice is noted. It is suggested that citywide suppression of traffic goes beyond “traffic calming” as it is commonly understood, into the realm of travel demand management and cultural change.