In New South Wales (NSW), shopping centre car parks are classified as shared pedestrian zones where a maximum speed limit of 10 km/h applies. This low limit is designed to prioritize pedestrian safety, given the high foot traffic in such areas. Drivers must yield to pedestrians and strictly observe this limit, as enforced by NSW road rules. Some private car parks may display lower advisory speed limits, such as 5 km/h, but these are not legally enforceable. The 10 km/h speed limit ensures a safer environment for pedestrians and vehicles to coexist safely within these zones.
In contrast, Victorian regulations allow shopping centre operators more discretion over speed limits within their car parks since these are often considered private property. The Victorian Road Safety Road Rules 2017 include provisions for low-speed limits in pedestrian priority areas like car parks, typically recommending limits of 10 or 20 km/h, but there is no strict mandated limit for all shopping centre car parks statewide. The official state default urban speed limit outside private car parks is 50 km/h. Victoria also uses 40 km/h limits in high pedestrian activity areas such as shopping strips, but not uniformly inside car parks unless specified by local authorities or facility managers.
Thus, NSW mandates a strict 10 km/h limit in shopping centre car parks recognizing them as shared zones, whereas Victorian rules offer flexibility, often guided by operator discretion, with recommended limits usually between 10 and 20 km/h to ensure pedestrian safety.
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