Brookton Onward Town Team push road safety with Streets Alive community project after concerning speed data

Brookton is on the front foot on road safety after hosting a traffic calming project event in response to concerning speed data and reports of rogue drivers. Brookton Onward Town Team organised a Streets Alive Traffic Calming Project launch to engage the community in a plan for future street calming installations and road safety research on March 12, at the Brookton Memorial Hall. About 50 attendees enjoyed a traffic-themed afternoon tea and children practised road safety on scooters in an indoor course the shire built with cones and road signs. Main Roads WA granted BOTT $5000 to fund the shire’s research and safety development plans. Over a six to nine-month period, traffic counters completed by the Shire of Brookton recorded 79 per cent of traffic exceeded the 50km/h speed limit on Brookton Highway in 2024 and 34 per cent exceeded the 50km/h limit on Williams Street in 2023. Shire of Brookton chief executive Gary Sherry said these increased traffic speeds endangered pedestrians using Brookton’s paths and road crossings. BOTT proposed calming strategies like marking the edges of carriageways, increasing path space for pedestrians, traffic islands and painting large speed messages on the road to signal to drivers to slow down. Methods to increase drivers’ attention and awareness of pedestrians involved making the roads brighter with murals, bollards, seating, plants and community artwork. BOTT convener Rosalie Pech Eva said the shire, community groups and local business have all come together to advocate for Brookton road safety. “We had a lot of anecdotal evidence that people are driving too fast and the trucks were dangerous, which creates a dangerous situation for pedestrians,” she said. “We all deserve to have safer streets, it will pull the different areas in our little town together so people can move safely between the school, shops and aged care precinct. Brookton shire deputy president Tamara de Lange said the shire was inspired by the BOTT plans and will advocate and use its associations with government bodies to help enact their projects. “The 2050 national road safety strategy is very much focused on these types of initiatives, so Brookton is stepping up and being on the front foot,” she said. “Let’s put the right thing in place now, we don’t want to create solutions after an incident.”