Navigating safe active streets

Safe active streets are travel routes on quiet local streets, where speeds have been reduced to 30 km/hr. The lower traffic speeds create a safer shared street space for people of all ages and abilities walking, wheeling and riding, while remaining accessible for people driving.

Safe active streets are relatively new to Western Australia but are used widely around the world. They are also known as neighbourhood greenways, bike boulevards and quiet streets.

Safe active street routes form part of the wider bicycle network, connecting to other bike routes and linking community amenities such as schools, railway stations, local activity centres, shops, parks, and other recreation spaces.

Developed in partnership with local government, support for this innovative form of active transport infrastructure continues to grow, particularly in locations where off-road shared path facilities are not feasible or desirable within the local street context.

Entry points to safe active streets have distinctive blue-and-white road patches and 30 km/hr speed limit signs. Bike symbols and red asphalt are typically used to highlight the route and where people should ride.

Safe active streets can either use a raised platform or narrow entry to help slow traffic and alert people they have entered a space that is welcoming and comfortable for people walking, wheeling and riding. 

Other street modifications can include:

• slow points
• turn restrictions and/or road closures for motor vehicles
• raised intersection treatments
• innovative crossing treatments
• trees and other plantings, to further improve street amenity.

Combined, these changes not only create a safer and more inviting space for people riding but also increase walking opportunities within the local community.

Various treatments are placed along the safe active street to slow traffic. Bike symbols and red asphalt are typically used to highlight the route and where people should ride.

The road width along a safe active street is narrowed, by either introducing designated on-street parking or a series of verge extensions which allow for tree planting and landscaping. The streets are designed to allow sufficient space for two vehicles to pass at the 30 km/hr speed limit.

Single lane slow points – these are one-way points on the street. The first person to arrive has the right of way. On approach, the person driving or riding must give way to anyone already at or passing through the slow point.

Raised intersections – these can be applied along the route at intersecting roads to slow vehicle approach speed. 

Overtaking – As per Western Australian road rules a driver may overtake a bike rider if there is enough space to do so safely (with a minimum of one metre passing distance), they have a clear view of the road ahead and they do not exceed the 30 km/hr speed limit.

The fact sheet below on how to navigate safe active streets shows diagrams of several situations where people driving and riding on the safe active street will need to share the road and negotiate the treatments. 

The introduction of safe active streets in Western Australia is the result of a successful pilot program aimed at providing a safe and connected bicycle network for people of all ages and abilities.

The Safe Active Streets Pilot Program ran from 2015 to 2023, with the evaluation phase ongoing.

Early evaluation findings from the Safe Active Streets Pilot Program suggest that safer shared street spaces are being achieved through slower speed environments in the redesigned local streets.

If this is something that interests you, read more about the pilot program or contact your local government authority to find out what has been done or is planned in your area.

Below are answers to some common questions asked about safe active streets.

Remember: when using safe active streets, follow the speed limit, other road signage and markings, and as always, be courteous to other people, whether they are in a car, riding or walking.