Decision details

The original motion was moved by Councillor Scott, seconded by Councillor Scully.

It is resolved that:

(A)      Council note:

(i)         there are 36 schools in the City of Sydney with school zones associated with them;

(ii)        that the definition and implementation of school zones are the responsibility of Transport for NSW, however all levels of government have a role in increasing road safety and reducing the road toll;

(iii)      Transport for NSW have nominated a list of school sites within the City which were recommended for upgrade by the Centre for Road Safety;

(iv)      to undertake this work, the City of Sydney received a funding offer under the Federal and State Government’s Stimulus Commitment - Road Safety Program (School Zone Infrastructure) on 31 May 2021, to construct 11 raised pedestrian crossings at seven schools within the City of Sydney;

(v)       these projects are expected to be completed by 31 December 2021;

(vi)      the City prioritises and actions road safety reviews for schools that have recorded crash data on the Centre of Road Safety database;

(vii)     in the five years between 2014 and 2018 one incident occurred in an active school zone involving a child;

(viii)    both the school and streetscape has since been significantly changed to enhance safety;

(ix)      road safety reviews for schools follow the Road Safety Audit Guidelines, but are tailored to focus primarily on safety issues affecting school students;

(x)       the City is currently working on a Road Safety Action Plan that coordinates all the work the City does for schools to include the promotion of its school road safety programs;

(xi)      the City’s Road Safety Officer works collaboratively with Parents and Citizens’ Associations across the Local Government Area and responds and actions any concerns raised by residents about pedestrian safety;

(xii)     Google mobility data shows that movement from driving in October 2021 was six per cent above baseline levels;

(xiii)    between January 2021 and June 2021 driving was 40 per cent above baseline levels. A Transurban survey conducted in July found that an average of eight per cent more people in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane intended to travel by car following the pandemic;

(xiv)    in May 2020, the City of Sydney published its Active Travel to School Toolkit, encouraging school aged students to use active transport to get to school; and

(xv)     the City supports the NSW Active Transport Charter for Children and runs programs annually targeted at children’s road safety;

(B)      the Chief Executive Officer be requested to write to the Secretary of Transport to investigate conducting a pedestrian safety audit in City of Sydney school zones; and

(C)      Council note that the City of Sydney’s Road Safety Officer will provide support to Transport for NSW if a Safety Audit is undertaken.

The amended motion was carried unanimously.

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