Every local government in Western Australia has the power to make its streets safer and more inviting for people who walk and ride - without waiting for state funding or major capital works.
Our vision for active transport
WestCycle's vision is for everyone to have the option to use active transport for their daily journeys, because more people walking and riding benefits the whole community. The Healthy Streets framework gives us a way to measure whether our streets are working for people.
Streets are for everyone, no matter their age, ability, gender, or background. When people of all ages and abilities feel comfortable on a street, we know we're getting it right.
Traffic on local streets travels at low speeds and in low volumes. Streets are well lit and well maintained. People don't feel intimidated by motor vehicles.
Safe crossings, pram ramps, and median refuges make it easy for everyone to get where they're going directly and quickly. When streets are hard to cross, communities are cut in two.
Trees, awnings, and shade structures protect people from WA's sun and heat, and provide shelter from wind and rain. Without shade, walking and riding are only viable for part of the day and part of the year.
Seating, drink fountains, and rest stops along key routes mean that everyone - including older people, people with disabilities, and families with young children - can use the street comfortably.
Noise from motor traffic affects our health, makes streets stressful, and discourages people from spending time outside. Lower speeds and less through-traffic make streets quieter and more pleasant.
Less motorised traffic means less pollution and healthier neighbourhoods. Streets where people choose to walk and ride have better air quality for everyone, including the people who live on them.
Active, interesting streetscapes with shopfronts, greenery, and community life make walking and riding enjoyable, not just functional. Blank walls, empty lots, and car parks make streets feel hostile.
People are more likely to walk, ride, and spend time on streets where they feel relaxed rather than stressed. This comes from the combination of all the other indicators.
When streets meet all of the above needs, people choose active transport because it's the most attractive option - not because they have no alternative.
When streets meet these needs, everyone has the option of walking or riding. That benefits everyone - including the people who still need to drive.
The 10 Healthy Streets Indicators were developed by Lucy Saunders.
WestCycle's Active Transport Vision goes further, imagining a Western Australia where:
Homes, shops, schools, health centres, and parks are all within easy walking or riding distance.
Stations are always an easy ride away, with bikes and scooters accommodated on public transport and secure parking available.
Every journey by bike or e-rideable ends with safe, secure, convenient parking close to the destination.
The network of paths gives everyone easy access to parks, reserves, and beaches. Street trees support shade, biodiversity, and urban cooling.
Read the full vision: westcycle.org.au/activetransport
Small steps, big impact
Backed by national and international design guidance, and proven to work in Australian cities and around the world, these actions can be delivered within existing council budgets and operational programs - in weeks, not years. No state funding. No involvement from Main Roads. Just better priorities within work councils are already doing.
Stop rat-running traffic with bollards or planter boxes that block cars but let people on foot and on bikes pass freely. Streets become quieter and residents reclaim their neighbourhood. Proven to reduce traffic volumes on filtered streets by 56–61%.
Wide, sweeping corners let drivers turn at speed. Tighter corners force them to slow down, shorten crossing distances, and make pedestrians more visible. Where full kerb reconstruction isn't feasible, interim treatments like planter boxes or painted extensions work now.
Keep bins off footpaths on collection day. Fix cracked and uneven surfaces on high-use routes near schools, shops, and public transport stops. Fill missing links where footpaths simply stop, forcing people onto the road.
Retrofit pram ramps at every intersection. Add median cut-throughs on wide roads so pedestrians can pause safely halfway. Install pop-up zebra crossings at the places where people are already crossing - especially near schools, parks, and shops.
Over the past 40 years, national rates of active travel to school have dropped from 75% to 25%. In Perth, it's as low as 20% - and half of children are driven to school despite living less than a kilometre away. Councils can act now by auditing walking and cycling routes within 800 metres of every primary school and delivering pram ramps, raised crossings, no-stopping zones, and short sections of new footpath. Consider school streets that close roads to through-traffic at drop-off and pick-up.
Separated cycling facilities built quickly using paint, flexible bollards, and planter boxes. A rapid, low-risk way to test demand and deliver safety improvements while permanent designs are developed. Sydney's pop-up network saw a 40% increase in cycling trips.
Bike hoops at shops, libraries, and parks. Drink fountains with bottle-fill taps. Shade structures and street trees along key routes. These small amenities signal that a place is designed for people.
Rebates or vouchers for bikes, e-bikes, repairs, helmets, and lights. Can be added to existing sustainability rebate programs. The City of Holdfast Bay added e-bike rebates to their Green Living program - the decision took minutes at a council meeting.
Publish maps of recommended cycling routes highlighting low-traffic streets, shared paths, and connections to schools, stations, and town centres. Install wayfinding signage at decision points. Work with local riders to identify routes and hazards.
Our key ask
Many of the actions on this page are things councils can deliver on their own. But on speed limits, the most effective action would come from the state government: changing the default speed limit on local streets from 50 km/h to 30 km/h, in one go, across all of WA.
Right now, any council that wants safer speeds has to change them one street at a time - a slow, expensive process requiring individual traffic studies, signage, and approvals. With over 12,500 km of local streets still at the 50 km/h default, doing this council by council would take decades. A state-wide default change would be faster, cheaper, and more coherent - just as it was in 1999.
In 1999, the WA Government changed the default speed limit from 60 km/h to 50 km/h. The result: a 20% reduction in all crashes and a 51% reduction in pedestrian injuries. Lowering the default again - from 50 to 30 - would deliver the same kind of step change in safety.
Some councils are already leading the way. 71 WA local governments have introduced 40 km/h zones on some of their streets (587 km total), and 20 have 30 km/h streets (42 km total). These councils deserve recognition for acting within a system that makes it difficult. But 42 km of 30 km/h streets out of more than 12,500 km shows why a state-wide default change is needed.
Even if the state government hasn't changed the default yet, you can ask your local council to support the change. Use the map below to explore crash data in your local government area, then email your Mayor or Shire President.
Explore the data
Click on any local government area to see crash statistics for 2019–2023 and the proportion of streets with reduced speed limits. Then email your Mayor or Shire President to ask them to support safer streets.
Layers
Every action on this page is within the direct control of local government. The majority require no state or federal funding. The returns begin the moment the work is done: healthier residents, safer streets, stronger local economies, and more liveable neighbourhoods. Local governments can start this work today.
Email your Mayor or Shire President ↑Crash data: Main Roads Western Australia, 5-year crash data 2019–2023.