Some people will watch this and conclude that trees don’t belong near roads.
We’d argue the opposite… as long as it’s done right.
Trees can make streets cooler, greener, more walkable and more inviting. They can even help create lower-speed environments that reduce crash risk in the first place.
But trees don’t eliminate kinetic energy.
If we want beautiful boulevards and safe roads, we need to manage the energy too. That might mean lower speeds, high-profile barrier kerbs, parking lanes reconfigurations, separation, or other design features that reduce the likelihood or consequences of a run-off-road crash.
The challenge isn’t choosing between trees and safety. It’s designing for both.
It’s a philosophy reflected in the Victorian Government’s Tree Policy, which recognises that trees deliver important community, environmental and active transport benefits, while also requiring designers to manage the risk of death and serious injury when vehicles leave the carriageway.
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