Speed limit change in major Aussie city triggers 'backlash' fears from drivers
The City of Sydney has announced it will lower the speed limit from 50km/h to 40km/h on all of the roads within its council area.
The decision to slash speed limits in Australia’s biggest city is “fully” expected to spark public backlash, a road safety awareness group has warned. The City of Sydney announced this week it will lower the speed limit from 50km/h to 40km/h on all of the roads within its council area.
Signs warning drivers of the new change will be installed in the coming weeks in major inner-city suburbs like Glebe, Forest Lodge, Redfern and Alexandria, Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore AO confirmed. The slower speed would expand safety for everyone who walks, rides and drives in the city, she added.
The 40km/h limit applies to local and regional roads managed by the City of Sydney council.
Road safety group fully expects speed limit 'backlash'
While the “initiative has been a long time coming”, Diane McMurtrie, who established Hannah’s Blue Butterflies Road Safety Awareness Inc with her husband after the road death of their 19-year-old daughter, told Yahoo News on Tuesday she “fully expects a public backlash from these measures”.
“The standard argument that lowering the speed limit will extend travel time, create angst and frustration among road users,” she said. “The simple truth is this: Speed is the number one killer on NSW roads.”
The 2024 NSW road toll is up from 2023, with 179 lives lost so far. In 2023, 163 lives were lost at this point in the year.
“While lowering speeds in built-up and residential areas has been trialled elsewhere, the general consensus is this measure will save lives,” McMurtrie said. “As road users, we must hold ourselves accountable. Every decision has consequences. Slow down. Be vigilant.”
However, while driving safely is clearly always encouraged, others have already shared their concerns with the change. “The NRMA does not support arbitrary cutting of speed limits across council areas,” an NRMA Spokesperson told Yahoo News.
“Speed limits should be evidence-based regardless of whether it is increased or decreased and should be based on the performance of individual roads and factors such as traffic volumes, crash history and engineering.”
Speed limits to be reduced to 30km/h in Sydney city centre
Lord Mayor Moore said studies have shown that the survival rates for people hit by a vehicle drastically improve at lower speeds.
“When people drive at safer speeds it reduces the number of crashes and their severity, improves safety for people walking and riding and helps to support better placemaking,” she said.
“We will also continue to work with NSW Transport to reduce speed limits to 30km/h in the city centre and other high activity areas where there are lots of people are walking and riding.”
Most motorways and state roads, which are the responsibility of the NSW government, will continue to have speed limits above the 40km/h limit.
In March, Inner West councillors voted unanimously to pass a motion restricting the speed limit to 40km/h on local streets, with the new rollout set to prioritise roads near childcare centres, schools, hospitals, and aged care facilities.
Advocates from within the council — which governs the crowded suburbs of Annandale, Ashfield, Balmain, Dulwich Hill, Lilyfield, Leichhardt, Newtown, Marrickville, Petersham and Rozelle — said locals were in favour of the change.
With NCA NewsWire
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