Reducing speed limits in cities can save lives. Why is Australia still reluctant?

The brief

As deaths on roads in Australian cities rise, experts say one of the most effective road safety measures is languishing in the “political too-hard basket” in New South Wales. The number of people killed while walking or riding in big cities has increased by almost a quarter since 2022, pushing Australia away from reaching its target of halving total road deaths by 2030 compared with the 2018-20 annual average. Road safety experts widely regard reducing urban speed limits as one of the cheapest and fastest ways to reduce death and injury in areas where pedestrians, cyclists and motorists compete for limited street space. But Ralston Fernandes, a former director of…