Road Safety at Newtown Public School

09/03/2020 - Road Safety at Newtown Public School

Moved by Councillor Scott, seconded by Councillor Forster –

It is resolved that:

(A)        Council note that:

(i)          the intersection of King Street and Whitehorse Lane is a high traffic walking route for students;

(ii)         a shared zone was installed in Whitehorse Street in March 2019 to prioritise access for pedestrians, especially school children;

(iii)        the principal of Newtown Public School and the local community continue to be concerned about road safety;

(iv)       there have been numerous serious incidents at this intersection, most notably when a child walked directly underneath a truck;

(v)         in 2019, the City of Sydney undertook an independent Road Safety Audit to identify safety improvements that could be made in the shared zone;

(vi)       line marking and enforced parking controls were implemented in response to actions identified in the audit;

(vii)      a site visit was conducted with Transport for NSW, City staff and the principal of Newtown Public School on Friday 28 February 2020; and

(viii)     it was proposed at this meeting that the shared zone on Whitehorse Lane be removed and the footpath be widened;

(B)        the Chief Executive Officer be requested to:

(i)          urgently investigate the feasibility of removing the shared zone and widening the footpath of Whitehorse Lane; and

(ii)         work with Transport for NSW to develop a draft public domain plan for Whitehorse Street; and

(C)       the Lord Mayor be requested to write to the Minister for Transport requesting he immediately expedite funding for urgently needed safety upgrades at the intersection of Whitehorse, Holt and King Streets.

Carried unanimously.

S129266