Decision details

Moved by Councillor Thalis, seconded by the Chair (the Lord Mayor) -

It is resolved that:

(A)      Council note:

(i)         the Local Pedestrian, Cycling and Traffic Calming Committee (LPCTCC) considers the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists in the City of Sydney;

(ii)        Transport for NSW is responsible for the control of vehicular traffic on all roads in NSW. However, in order to deal with the large number and range of traffic-related matters effectively, they have delegated certain aspects of traffic control on local roads to councils;

(iii)      there are four formal voting members of the Local Pedestrian, Cycling and Traffic Calming Committee:

(a)  City of Sydney;

(b)  NSW Police;

(c)   Transport for NSW; and

(d)  Local State Members of Parliament;

(iv)      there are also informal (non-voting) members of the Local Pedestrian, Cycling and Traffic Calming Committee who provide advice from State Transit Authority, Transport Workers Union, a cycling representative and a pedestrian representative;

(v)       the Heart Foundation has called on local governments to ensure all Australian have safe streets for walking and cycling;

(vi)      Transport for NSW are reviewing their Road Safety Action Plan 2026 which aims to:

(a)  reduce drink and drug driving;

(b)  increase speed compliance and safer speed choice;

(c)   create safer urban roads; and

(d)  reduce other unsafe road behaviour (such as driver fatigue);

(vii)     one of the priorities in the City's Community Safety Action Plan 2019-2023 and the Walking Strategy and Action Plan 2015-2030 is to improve road and pedestrian safety;

(viii)    the City has developed an internal Speed Reduction Implementation Plan to reduce the speed limit on all local roads in the Local Government Area to 40km/h. The Plan also includes investigation for 30km/h opportunities;

(ix)      as a result of the Lord Mayor’s advocacy to the NSW Government to reduce roads speeds, around 75 per cent of all streets in the City of Sydney are now proposed to be 40km/h or less;

(x)       traffic movement, noise and barriers to active mobility are serious and costly population health issues;

(xi)      in 2021 alone (at 21 June 2021), 139 lives have been lost on NSW roads;

(xii)     in the past 12 months (at 9 April 2021), there have been 10,029 serious injuries on NSW roads; and

(xiii)    Local Pedestrian, Cycling and Traffic Calming Committee members would benefit from obtaining advice from health professionals; and

(B)      the Chief Executive Officer be requested to:

(i)         commence the process of recruiting a health care representative from the Sydney or South Eastern Local Health District as a non-voting member of the Local Pedestrian, Cycling and Traffic Calming Committee; and

(ii)        report back to Council the outcome of the recruitment process via CEO Update.

Carried unanimously.

S129265