WalkSydney: Mar 2021
WalkSydney: Mar 2021
As we walk into the new year, the shape of our cities and streets continue to evolve.
This year, the WalkSydney group started meeting more regularly both online and in-person to workshop and move our strategies forward.
Events and achievements
Draft National Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030
Every ten years federal, state and territory governments agree on a set of priorities to reduce road user fatalities and serious injuries. WalkSydney has submitted to the consultation and our full submission is available online.
Glebe Island Bridge active transport connection
WalkSydney wholeheartedly supported the campaigning late 2020 to restore the Glebe Island Bridge as a pedestrian path and cycleway. We were happy to see the announcement of the reopening of the Glebe Island Bridge to pedestrians and cyclists at the centre of the NSW government’s White Bay plan to transform Sydney’s industrial harbour into a business, leisure and tourism precinct.
Local 30km/h speed limits
In February, WalkSydney and 30please.org wrote to 33 local governments in Greater Sydney asking when they would introduce a 30 km/h speed limit in residential neighbourhoods. Slow speed is the easiest way to increase pedestrian and cyclist safety. It also allows many road users to share the same space and is therefore inexpensive to introduce. (Read the letter.) We have received varied responses which we plan to follow up.
Blog posts
Walking infrastructure steps up
We published a popular post about how Parramatta Council recently researched the national guides and proposed a new approach for installing pedestrian crossings based on a method used in Victoria.
The post raised an important question around NSW’s current use of traffic engineering concepts and whether they’re still relevant for the cities we want today.
Future
Some upcoming strategies we are looking to address this year:
NSW local elections - 4 September 2021
Advocating to local and state gov for additional deployment of 30km/hr safe street neighbourhood zones
Join
You can join WalkSydney and get involved with activities and ideas to make Sydney safe and pleasant for pedestrians. We advocate for improving the walkability of our city. People-friendly streets are the foundation of healthy, inclusive, connected, and sustainable communities.
Help make walking in Sydney better.
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