Towards Zero

Mornington Peninsula Towards Zero Road Safety Strategy for 2020-2025

The Mornington Peninsula has unacceptably high levels of road trauma.  In the past decade alone, 75 people were killed and over 1500 seriously injured on roads within the Shire. Among Victoria’s 79 municipalities, we experienced the second highest number of deaths in 2019 and again in 2020 with 12 and 9 deaths respectively. 

Road safety is a complex issue that affects everyone. Reducing road trauma is a shared responsibility – the community, road users, Mornington Peninsula Shire and all other stakeholders have a role to play in making our road network safer and working together for us to move Towards Zero.

In response to the challenge of reducing road trauma on the Peninsula, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council has developed its Mornington Peninsula Towards Zero Road Safety Strategy for 2020-2025 which provides a framework for the Shire’s policies and actions aimed at reducing road trauma.

The strategy is founded on the Towards Zero principle that no one should be killed or seriously injured on our roads with the ultimate vision that all journeys are safe and feel safe for all road users by 2050.  This will require transformation of the road network over the next 30 years to reduce the likelihood of crashes and protect people when crashes do occur so that death and serious injuries are not the result.

Following public exhibition and consideration of community feedback, the strategy was adopted by Council at the 8 September 2020 Council Meeting. 

Download: Mornington Peninsula Towards Zero 2020 - 2025 - Our Road Safety Strategy(PDF, 2MB)

Download: Mornington Peninsula Towards Zero 2020-2025 Technical Report(PDF, 4MB)

Towards Zero municipality initiative

 In April 2016, the Shire became Victoria’s first Towards Zero municipality and adopted the goal of zero road deaths and serious injuries on roads within the Shire.

The Shire’s commitment to reducing road trauma is underpinned by the best-practice Safe System philosophy which is based on three key principles: 

  • People make mistakes – human error is inevitable but the consequence of a mistake should not be death or serious injury
  • People are vulnerable – the human body can only absorb a certain level of crash impact so the risk of crashes should be minimised and when crashes do occur, the impact should not exceed the threshold where a person will be seriously injured or killed
  • Shared responsibility – road safety has many stakeholders that all have a responsibility to contribute to a safe road network

There are four pillars to a Safe System to improve road safety and address road trauma: 

  • Safer Roads – upgrade of roads and intersections
  • Safer Road Users – education of drivers and other road users
  • Safer Vehicles – improvement of vehicle safety
  • Safer Speeds – appropriate speed limits and reduction of the number of vehicles travelling over the posted speed limit

Our ultimate goal is for all journeys to be safe and feel safe for all modes of transport by addressing systemic crash risks through the implementation of Safe System principles.

Road Trauma Parliamentary Inquiry

As part of our road safety advocacy, in 2020 the Shire made a detailed submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into the increase in Victoria’s road toll and made a presentation to the committee.

Our submission proposed that the Shire’s roads be used to trial and demonstrate system-based design for all road users, including cyclists and pedestrians, not only to eliminate road trauma locally, but to help this best practice approach to be replicated across the State.  The proposed approach would involve the State’s road safety partners working proactively with Council to lead new approaches to implement Safe System aligned road infrastructure improvements and appropriate speeds.

 Download: Mornington Peninsula Shire Submission - Road Toll Parliamentary Inquiry(PDF, 251KB) 

The reporting date for the inquiry is 31 March 2021. Once the report is tabled in Parliament, an electronic copy will be available on the inquiry’s webpage Inquiries (parliament.vic.gov.au)

 Road safety initiatives

The Shire has commenced many road safety initiatives since adopting to become a Towards Zero municipality in 2016. In collaboration with TAC, VicRoads and Victoria Police, programs are being developed that demonstrate the Safe System principles in a coordinated effort to improve road safety. 

Black Spot projects

The Shire has recently secured almost $6 million in federal Black Spot funding to address high risk locations.  The following projects are being prepared for delivery in 2021-22:

  • Mount Eliza pedestrian safety improvements
  • Hastings township 40km/h area
  • Dromana township 40km/h area
  • Myers Road/Hendersons Road, Bittern roundabout
  • Hodgins Road/Stumpy Gully Road, Tuerong roundabout
  • Shoreham Road safety upgrade
  • Codrington Street/Ligar Street, Dromana roundabout

Safer Residential Areas 

In 2018 the residential areas of Hastings, Dromana and Rosebud were highlighted as having a high number of casualty crashes.  Safety has been improved in these local areas through the implementation of raised platforms, safer speeds, pedestrian crossings and roundabouts.  The $2m project was jointly funded by the Shire and the Victorian government’s Safe Travel in Local Streets program.

Safer Speeds 

In December 2019, Mornington Peninsula Shire implemented a two-year Safer Speeds trial of 80 km/h speeds limits on 38 high risk sealed rural roads which had 90 and 100 km/h speed limits.  Research indicates that the project is expected to reduce fatalities and serious injuries by 25% and 15% respectively on these roads.  The trial is being comprehensively evaluated by Road Safety Victoria.

Wooralla Drive Blackspot project

Mornington Peninsula Shire continually and successfully applies for federal Blackspot funding to improve locations with a high crash risk.  One Blackspot project took place on Wooralla Drive in Mount Eliza with the construction of a roundabout at St Kilda Street and central median islands along this section of Wooralla Drive.  The treatments improve intersection safety and reduce downhill travel speeds along Wooralla Drive and will therefore mitigate the main cause of previous crashes.

Roads to Recovery projects

Each year Mornington Peninsula Shire receives federal Roads to Recovery funding to repair and upgrade our roads.  A recent Roads to Recovery project involved the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Bentons Road, Loders Road and Derril Road in Moorooduc.  Upcoming projects for 2020-21 and 2021-22 include Bentons Road reconstruction Stage 3 in Moorooduc and construction of a roundabout at Merricks Road/ Stanleys Road in Merricks North. 

Mornington pedestrian safety improvements

Mornington Peninsula Shire worked in collaboration with the Victorian Department of Transport to create a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists in the Mornington commercial precinct and foreshore area.  The improvements include raised pedestrian crossings, pedestrian refuge islands and an area-wide 40 km/h speed limit.  The $2.135m project was funded as part of the Victorian Government's Safer Cyclists and Pedestrians Fund, and was delivered by Mornington Peninsula Shire.

Mornington Peninsula Freeway barriers

The Mornington Peninsula Freeway between Mount Martha and Rosebud was recognised as one of Victoria’s highest risk rural road lengths in Victoria’s Towards Zero 2016-2020 road safety strategy and action plan.  In response, the Victorian Department of Transport has installed around 70 km of flexible side and median barriers to protect vehicles from run-off road crashes.  The barriers are expected to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes on the freeway by 85%.

Forest Drive and Uralla Road intersections with Nepean Highway, Mount Martha

Federal Minister Greg Hunt has committed $10 million to improve the safety of the Forest Drive and Uralla Road intersections with Nepean Highway in Mount Martha.  The Victorian Department of Transport are currently investigating suitable treatment options for these intersections in preparation for further community consultation.

Road safety education programs

The Shire collaborates with a number of organisations to support and deliver a range of road safety education programs.  One example is the “Slow Down, Kids Around” Holiday Time campaign. The summer holidays are a busy time on the Mornington Peninsula and research shows that young children are at particularly high risk during this time.  Mornington Peninsula Shire partners with the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation each summer to promote the “Slow Down, Kids Around” Holiday Time campaign. This encourages drivers along the Port Phillip Bay coast in the Southern Peninsula to slow down and be aware of children, and for parents to keep a watchful eye on their children.  The campaign includes colourful roadside signage and media promotion.

Further information

Please email trafficrequests@mornpen.vic.gov.au or phone 5950 1048.