Ruislip Safe Active Street Evaluation
Last reviewed: 09/01/2025
The Ruislip Safe Active Street project involved the design and construction of a 3.8km Safe Active Street that forms part of the City Beach – West Leederville cycle corridor. The aim of the project was to provide a safe route for cyclists by introducing measures to reduce traffic volumes and lower vehicle speeds to 30kph.
The project included the installation of shared spaces, parking spaces, intersection priority changes, raised plateaus, kerbing and drainage improvements, tree planting, line marking and signage. The Ruislip Safe Active Street makes usage of both red and black asphalt.
Construction works for the Safe Active Street were completed in June 2023 and were followed by a pre-opening Road Safety Audit (RSA), review of the corrective actions from the RSA and an activation event to promote the project.
A report was presented to Council in November 2023 (CR12.4.2 - Ruislip Safe Active Street - Post Construction Road Safety Audit Corrective Actions) to present the findings and corrective action recommendations from a Road Safety Audit (RSA) undertaken along the Ruislip Safe Active Street (SAS) route.
A link to the Council report, RSA report and its findings is available under the related information section. There were 14 recommended corrective actions identified in the RSA with the majority being minor in nature. The corrective actions are summarised as follows:
- Seven relating to pavement and signage infrastructure.
- Two relating to pruning of vegetation.
- Two relating to identified sightlines issues with third party infrastructure.
- One relating to review of parking restrictions along the route.
- One relating to build out priority; and
- One relating to the Harborne Street and Ruislip Intersection.
Nine corrective actions (items 1 and 2) related to pruning of vegetation and line marking adjustments have been actioned.
The remaining five corrective actions (items 3 to 6) are considered to be relatively minor, however there are complexities with progressing these as they require a change to the original design. One of the recommended corrective actions was to consider converting the Ruislip Street / Harborne Street intersection into a left-in/left-out for vehicles, with bicycle cut throughs for continuous travel along Ruislip Street (see image below).
A Safe Active Street (SAS) is not expected to function perfectly immediately after implementation. Such schemes often require time for driver behaviour to adapt and for the community to adjust to the changes. This process can take several years, as the gradual shift in travel patterns and habits helps the SAS achieve its intended outcomes of improving safety and accessibility for all users. Patience and ongoing evaluation are key to ensuring the long-term success of the project.
Project Updates
During the 2024/25 financial year, the Town will undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the scheme’s effectiveness. This will involve collecting traffic count and speed data, comparing it with pre-construction assumptions, previous data sets to assess the scheme performance, and engaging with residents and the cycling community, including conducting a user perception survey.
The review will also explore additional measures to further reduce traffic on Ruislip Street. This includes potential modifications at the Ruislip Street/ Harborne Street intersection to restrict certain vehicle movements, as well as reviewing the traffic signals on Harborne Street at the Grantham Street and Cambridge Street intersections.
Current Status
The Town is currently preparing to engage a specialist transport engineering consultant to undertake an independent evaluation of the scheme. The evaluation is planned for completion in the first half of 2025 with the results and any recommendations for corrective actions expected to be presented to Council in June 2025.