Motorists in some of Sydney’s busiest suburbs will soon be restricted to driving 40 kilometres per hour in certain areas, in a new push to reduce the amount of road accidents while creating a safer space for pedestrians.
Inner West councillors voted unanimously on Monday night 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. How the changes will be implemented is currently under evaluation.
Advocates from within the council – that governs the crowded suburbs of Annandale, Ashfield, Balmain, Dulwich Hill, Lilyfield, Leichhardt, Newtown, Marrickville, Petersham and Rozelle — say locals are in favour of the change, citing a poll in which 82 per cent of respondents voted in favour of the limits.
New Inner West speed limits ‘a long time coming’
Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Cr Tim Stephens said he’s pleased with the outcome.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Stephens told Yahoo. “It hasn’t actually been all that controversial at a council level. The issue now is just around implementation, so we will need the support and cooperation of Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) and some funding to do the signage and the road markings.”
With speed limits of 40km/h already in place in parts of the LGA, Stephens said he expects the changes won’t affect people much on the day-to-day. “There’s already a large part — or at least part of the Inner West — that’s already 40km/h, which is the Balmain peninsula,” he said.
“The experience there has been a pretty positive one, and most of the streets [within the LGA] you’d struggle to go over 40 anyway.”