Newsletter March 2024
Treading lightly on things afoot
Message from the President
For those familiar with story arcs, this feels like a period of ‘rising action’. While we have been quieter publicly, we remain busy behind the scenes - particularly now on a local level (where invited) commenting on active transport plans, as well as continuing our advocacy. We backed calls for a Royal Commission into WestConnex, which parlayed into the Rozelle Interchange Parliamentary Inquiry, and we have now made a submission to that inquiry.
You may have noticed some themes emerging in recent submissions too, on decarbonisation, a child-friendly city, better planning and budget mode equity. This has been helpful in articulating common ground for other areas of sustainable transport and planning that may not seem strictly walking-related. Nevertheless, we cannot be all things, and are happy to play a supporting role where appropriate.
It’s great to hear in some quarters that we appear to be doing a good job of effective and focused advocacy. At the risk of hubris, some things working well are 6-weekly board meetings, having a dedicated spokesperson role and having one or two board members as ‘point-person’ on each submission or issue (like ‘traffic committees’). We could make better use of having members at meetings, and more of the board and members in both ‘owning’ issues, as well as writing submissions - see below. We are also exploring funding for bigger advocacy efforts like publications to build out the evidence base for walkability, spend profiles for walkers vs other modes etc.
Our latest version of the 2023 NSW Transport Budget pie, showing as much being spent on motorways (13.0%) as all sustainable transport except metro (13.3%, incl buses, light blue).
As always we welcome members to get involved (at the risk of a third pun - please step up) - reach out to us with any blog posts you want to write, or submissions or even publications. Articles don’t have to be long and complex, and can be on very local walking issues too. Also join our next meeting if you wish - see the bottom of this post - we will set up a calendar on the website to register to attend meetings too.
Recent media:
SMH on the City of Sydney Walking Strategy:
The walking strategy is backed by pedestrian lobby group WalkSydney, whose president Marc Lane said the city “would be a lot better starting with a policy of fewer noisy, polluting vehicles”. Lane said a street filled with pedestrians was a greater economic resource than a high street choked with traffic. “Having spent billions on a massive motorway network to bypass the city, now is the time to start removing cars from city streets that these tunnels replace and reprioritising space for people to walk,” he said.
WalkSydney also wants the council to push harder on lowering the speed limit to 30 km/h and wants action on issues such as traffic light timing under the control of the state government. Lane said the council’s efforts to make streets more pedestrian-friendly were also undermined by traffic signals that do not prioritise walkers, state government roads that are dangerous to cross due to lack of crossings or excessive speed limits, and “urban highways” through central Sydney.
The full quotes we sent were more nuanced and included praise for the Strategy overall, which is open for reading and feedback until 5th April: https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/policy-planning-changes/your-feedback-walking-strategy-action-plan
In the SMH on children’s travel to school:
WalkSydney president Marc Lane said Australian cities did not have a walking environment that allowed children to autonomously move around their local areas. Lane said many parents monitored their children’s walk to and from school because they were worried about cars.
“Our walking environments to school are often hostile – large busy roads, poor crossings, a default speed of 50 km/h which is often fatal,” he said. “And we continue to focus on treatments like pedestrian bridges on school routes that further suppress walking.”
As we highlighted when we attended TfNSW’s stakeholder workshop on children’s travel to school last year, the biggest gap is for children’s autonomous travel - there is only so much that can be achieved by recommending time-poor parents walk holding their children’s hands. We need streets safe enough for children to be independent earlier.
Recent submissions:
Inquiry into the Rozelle Interchange: https://walksydney.org/2024/03/14/submission-to-the-inquiry-into-the-impact-of-the-rozelle-interchange/ Excerpt:
WalkSydney makes the following recommendations:
1. Legislate an independent planning inspector for state projects,
2. Fund active and public transport over roads,
3. Legislate Transport’s purpose and user hierarchy, and
4. Fix the rules by which Transport, Planning and Treasury plan, consult on and assess road projects
Burwood Walking and Cycling Plan: https://walksydney.org/2024/03/19/submission-to-the-burwood-walking-and-cycling-plan/
NSW Pre-Budget Submission: we sent a short submission on Transport Allocation to Active Transport. Excerpted:
We therefore recommend that the NSW Budget sets a target 20% spend on walking and cycling. We recognise that NSW may not be able to go from 0.2% to 20% active transport spend overnight. We therefore further recommend that a roadmap to 20% is included in the budget, including clearly articulated increases in spend for the next 4 years. An initial allocation of 2% ($1 billion) would enable NSW to deliver transformational green networks as well as walkable TODs at an accelerated pace during this parliamentary term.
NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure’s (DPHI) Transit Oriented Development Program (TOD Program): We sent recommendations for the NSW Government to carefully put pedestrian-friendly design at the forefront of its planning for the TOD Program. Among our usual suggestions (30km/hr speed limit, make walking and cycling safe and attractive, child-friendly cities), we recommended adopting a form-based approach to buildings, encouraging mixed uses, using maximum rather than minimum parking rates, and encouraging local centres around busy roads and rail stations, as a buffer to residential uses.
Recent Announcements
Following public consultation on ‘diverse and well located’ (low and medium rise) homes, NSW Government has gone into another round of targeted consultation on the policy. WalkSydney have not made a submission on this particular policy.
Transport for NSW (TfNSW) has issued a new temporary delegation under the Roads Act 1993 to empower councils for low-risk works aimed at enhancing street livability and supporting walking and cycling. This means works such as parking regulation, pedestrian infrastructure, footpaths, alfresco dining areas, and measures to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety can be implemented without going through Local Traffic Committees. Traffic Committee is a "technical committee" made up of Police, TfNSW and State elected member representatives - the majority of whom have no technical credentials and are not accountable to local people. This change recognises that TfNSW has no business controlling local governments’ road operations on local streets.
Councils should take advantage of this delegation to take control of their traffic committee process. If Councils design their own decision-making process it can be transparent and accountable to their community, not just the Police, TfNSW, or elected State member delegates. Transparency creates trust and confidence among community, advocates and businesses, enhancing Council reputation and credibility. Making the process transparent also means information about how decisions are made is accessible so that stakeholders can make informed choices.
Conversely we would urge councils not to knee jerk into a status quo ante like the recently approved Inner West Pedestrian Crossing Warrant Policy. In WalkSydney’s view if the state government guidance now clearly signals that there are more strategic approaches to crossings than counting existing demand, then this is a strong signal for change. We note that the Inner West policy was amended to allow a workaround, and urge this to be used liberally in that LGA, given its high walk mode share.
Open consultations and upcoming events
Moore Park South: consultation is open till 10th April. We are supportive of opening up this land as a public park. This could also be an excellent opportunity to improve pedestrian connections to Centennial Park from the west - currently the experience for pedestrians and cyclists crossing Anzac Parade at Cleveland St is extremely slow.
City of Sydney Walking Strategy: consultation open till 5th April.
Randwick Council Active Transport Strategy and Walking and Cycling Plan: consultation open till 17th April. This just came out today so a WalkSydney submission is awaiting drafting - send us your thoughts along with responding to the council.
Sutherland Shire Council Road and Freight Strategy: According to their council minutes this strategy will soon be open for consultation, but it is not yet apparent. We are concerned that a councillor has called for investigating a pedestrian underpass or overpass at Cronulla Station. This would be a clear backwards step - going from the current short, wide, level signalised crossing to an inconvenient circuitous route - and do little to change traffic congestion, which is an inevitable result of the number of people wishing to visit this popular beachside area. The Shire needs to continue increasing the convenience and attractiveness of space-efficient modes like active and public transport, not give in to the endless spiral of more and larger cars.
A new Guide to Traffic Impact Assessment to replace the Guide to Traffic Generating Developments will be exhibited by TfNSW from 25 March - 31 May 2024, hear about it at this AITPM event.
The Walk21 conference will be in Lisbon, 14-18 October 2024. Submission of abstracts has closed, but if any members will be attending, please let us know if you want to be WalkSydney’s ‘official’ representative.
Next WalkSydney Board meeting is scheduled for Friday 12 April 2024 at 12pm. Sign up here if you would like to join the meeting - open to all members. Meetings are online at 6-weekly intervals.