Drivers will be forced to slow down in the inner suburbs as the City of Sydney cuts the speed limit to 40km/h on local and regional roads across the area to improve safety for pedestrians and motorists.
The council is dropping the speed limit on roads that have a default speed limit of 50km/h in Glebe, Forest Lodge, Beaconsfield and Waterloo. The reduced speed limit will also apply to sections of roads with a current 50km/h speed limit in Annandale, Redfern, Alexandria, Zetland and Woolloomooloo.
The council says the changes will improve safety in inner suburbs, including Glebe. Credit: Wolter Peeters
Bourke Street in Waterloo, Mitchell Road in Alexandria, and St Johns Road and Wentworth Park Road in Glebe are among the roads where motorists will need to slow down.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said cutting the maximum speed for motorists would make the inner city safer to walk, cycle and drive.
“When people drive at safer speeds it reduces the number of crashes and their severity, improves safety for people walking and riding and helps to support better place-making,” Moore said.
“Not only will our streets be safer as a result of these important changes, they’ll be quieter and have less exhaust emissions.”
The move reflects a wider push to reduce speed limits in NSW. The Inner West Council, which adjoins the City of Sydney, voted to drop speed limits to 40km/h on built-up streets in March.
Moore said studies had shown that the survival rates for pedestrians who were hit by a vehicle “drastically” improved at lower speeds.