Drivers in Melbourne have been slapped with a record number of speeding fines by police since the implementation of the new 40 km per hour speed limits. Before the speed limit was reduced, research was conducted which showed that reduction in the speed limit would prevent one death, nine serious injury crashes and around 25 casualty crashes a year. Police say the number of motorists fined in the CBD has risen to 348 following the introduction of the new speed limit which is more fines than ever in the past 5 years. The city council says they do not have place to tighten these restrictions again despite this increase in fines being dished out to motorists. The following excerpt from an article on TheAge.com.au explains further: Police have slapped drivers in Melbourne with a record number of speeding fines since the introduction of 40km/h limits but the city council says there are no plans to tighten restrictions again. The number of motorists fined in the central business district has risen to 348, more than at any time in the past five years and a jump of 147 compared with 2011-12. More than 100 of the extra fines occurred in 40km/h zones. While this has increased fine revenue by more than $33,000, this has been offset by a VicRoads decision to switch off speed cameras in the city to allow drivers to adjust to the limit. Read more: https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/melbourne-drivers-pay-price-of-new-speed-limits-20131117-2xou7.html#ixzz2kwA6gen5 The reduced limit was implemented last September in the CBD. Police say that the decision to turn off speed cameras in the Hoddle Grid, one of the areas where the new speed limit has been introduced, has resulted in the reduction of camera fines by almost $300,000. According to the government the reduced limit has been  successful, if the outcome is anything to judge by. Government data suggests that fewer reports of pedestrians being hit by cars in the CBD was a direct result of this lower speed limit. City of Melbourne councillor Cathy Oke, the chair of the council’s transport portfolio said the speed limit would not be cut further despite rumours to that effect. There was a report last month that suggested the council was considering the move once elevated tram stops were completed in Elizabeth Street, but this the councillor said was not true. The post goes on to explain: She said there had been fewer reports of pedestrians being hit by cars in the CBD, which was the main reason for the lower speed limit. Reports to the council found pedestrian deaths would be cut if the speed limit were lowered to 40km/h. “There’s anything from 800,000 to 1 million people in the CBD on any given day and we knew there was some real hot spots around areas like train stations that we had to make safer,” Cr Oke said. Read more: https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/melbourne-drivers-pay-price-of-new-speed-limits-20131117-2xou7.html#ixzz2kwA6gen5 The reduction in the speed limit and the fact that most motorists are abiding by the new limits in the CBD have resulted in less serious accidents than were happening when the speed limit was higher. Police say those drivers caught speeding in 40km/h zones by police, rather than by fixed cameras were travelling between 50km/hour and 55km/hour, showing that the average speed of motorists has definitely decreased. Police have so far fined 47 motorists for travelling between 55km/hour and 65km/hour in the CBD.