Background
Huon Valley Council, the Department of State Growth and the Cygnet community have been working together on road safety improvements for Mary Street Cygnet.
A primary discussion point has been pedestrian safety within the shopping precinct of Mary Street, with many pedestrians feeling vulnerable crossing the road due to lack of formal crossings and the speed of vehicles.
It has been raised by a number of community members and supported by The Cygnet Association at a meeting they held in November 2023, that a reduction of the speed limit from 50km/h to 40km/h will have a significant effect on pedestrian safety, but with limited impact of only seconds of increased travel time.
Speed Reduction
Mary Street Cygnet is a State Road managed by The Department of State Growth (DSG). The Huon Valley Council has received a proposal from DSG to lower the speed limit on Mary Street, Cygnet from 50km/h to 40km/h.
Wombat (pedestrian) Crossing
In conjunction with the speed reduction, Council has applied for a grant to install a wombat crossing in the Cygnet town centre to further improve safety for vulnerable road users.
A wombat crossing is a pedestrian (zebra) crossing on a raised platform. The platform is higher than the existing road pavement level and typically at the same level as the footpath.
** the feature image used in this post is part of the Huon Valley Community Vision ‘Getting around’
