The speed limit on Honeysuckle Drive, Wharf Road and Shortland Esplanade will drop to 30 km/h on Wednesday, Transport for NSW has confirmed.
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The limit along the 4.5-kilometre stretch of foreshore roads is being reduced as part of a trial to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety.
The roads will be the city's first with a 30km/h limit.
Multiple electronic message boards were in place on Monday warning of the reduction and fixed signs have been installed.
The reduction, which Newcastle council advocated for, was announced in early July along with a temporary "pop-up cycleway" on a short section of Honeysuckle Drive.
The cycleway connects a harbourside shared path that was cut-off last year when work began on private developments. It was installed in recent weeks and has proved popular with cyclists.
The speed limit on Honeysuckle Drive is 50km/h, but has been reduced to 40km/h in recent months due to construction and road works in the area.
Wharf Road and Shortland Esplanade are currently marked 40km/h.
Newcastle Cycleways Movement had pushed for the speed-limit reduction and president Sam Reich said last month he hoped the trial could be a test for the limit of other urban roads to be changed in the future.
Motorists on the foreshore roads will at times face an even slower journey as an autonomous vehicle is being trialed on Wharf Road between 10am and 2pm on weekdays. It has a maximum speed of 17.9km/h.
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