The Liveable Sydney Road, Coburg North and Fawkner campaign has scored a partial win before its petition has even been tabled in the Victorian Parliament.

The campaign’s petition calls for “urgent new road safety investments and measures on the Sydney Road Corridor, from O’Hea Street in Coburg North to Boundary Road in Fawkner“. So far, the petition (sponsored by state MP Anthony Cianflone) has gathered nearly 400 signatures. It runs till February 13, so there is still time to sign it.

Today, the Minister for Roads and Road Safety responded to a letter from Walk on Merri-bek, and stated that:

DTP [Department of Transport and Planning] supports a reduced 40 km/h speed limit between 7am – 7pm, from O’Hea Street to Bakers Road. Funding for the implementation of this speed limit reduction will be considered in future network planning alongside other statewide priorities.

This is a good start, though the petition asks for safety measures to go up to Boundary Road, plus a range of other road safety measures.

Drew Roberts from the Liveable Sydney Road campaign is pleased that the government has responded to residents’ concerns, but notes that more must be done:

“This is the most dangerous road for fatal and serious injuries in Merri-bek. Locals in Coburg North and Fawkner are sick of risking their lives to go to the local shops or train station. Every day, workers, shoppers and commuters, parents, school kids and the elderly, are forced to use a road that has outdated safety infrastructure and speed limits that we know can kill. Dropping your kids at childcare or using the local pedestrian crossing shouldn’t be this stressful. This is an easy fix!”

“In an area slated for higher housing density and new commercial developments, and with the increased traffic that will ensue, it is increasingly urgent that the State Government gets this right, before there is another fatal or serious injury.”

The Liveable Sydney Road campaign is one of many community campaigns in Coburg and Coburg focusing on making our roads safe for vulnerable road users. Five groups presented at the Coburg Road Safety Forum in November 2025. See our report here. Indeed, 2025 was a horror year for road trauma in Coburg, with four vulnerable road users killed (two on Moreland Road and two on Bell Street). An elderly driver was also killed last week on Moreland Road.

Making our streets safer for walking and cycling is key to improving active travel rates. The whole length of Sydney Road is particularly bad for pedestrian and cyclist casualties. However, the worst section for pedestrians is the 60 km/h section between O’Hea Street and Boundary Road. In their November letter to the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Walk on Merri-bek noted that the per km rate of pedestrian injuries in this 60 km/h stretch of Sydney Rd has been significantly higher than the pedestrian casualty rate on Merri-bek’s other roads, including in our activity centres (where pedestrian crashes are typically more common).

This section of Sydney Rd also has several hazardous intersections, including at Bakers Rd (which has seen two elderly pedestrians killed in the past 10 years) and Boundary Rd, where there has been a high rate of serious pedestrian injuries. 

There is clearly lots more that needs to be done to make this road safe. But this government response shows the importance of strong community campaigns. Well done to all involved.