Council responds to safety concerns with 40km speed limit

Waverley Council has responded to resident concerns about pedestrian safety in their neighbourhoods with 40 km speed limits due to come into effect across the southern half of Waverley LGA.  Signage will be installed in April and remain covered until the speed limits are in place.

This initiative aims to improve safety and reduce incidents and casualties. The speed limit change from 50 km/h to 40 km/h will improve a driver’s ability to stop quickly and react to the unexpected.

Council is working with Transport for NSW to help implement new safety limits which will span the area from Bondi Road and Syd Einfeld Drive to the southern boundary of the Local Government Area.  Carrington Road, Council Street and Bondi Road are state roads managed by Transport and are not included in these speed zone changes.

Infrastructure such as speed humps and signage to support the reduction has been funded by Transport for NSW. The introduction of a 50 km/h default urban speed limit within Australia resulted in a 23% reduction in casualty crashes, with public support for speed changes increasing significantly after the introduction of the lower speed limit.

Mayor Will Nemesh said community safety is of critical importance to Waverley Council.

“Ensuring safe and accessible public infrastructure is one of my top priorities. Reducing speed limits in specific areas is an important step toward that goal,” he said.

“Lower speed limits gives people more time to react, significantly reducing the risk of crashes and lessening the severity of collisions.”

The speed limit is enforceable and normal enforcement procedures will apply.

Motorists are asked to look out for pedestrians and the 40 km/h speed limit signs, and to slow down.

Notes to editor

  • Transport for NSW has been working with Councils to support 40 km/h as part of their strategy to significantly reduce the number and severity of crashes and focus on road user safety.
  • The speed limit change aligns with Waverley Council’s People, Movement and Places (2017) strategy which aims to make it easier for people to move around safely and actively by improving the quality of streetscapes and public places.
  • For more details on the 40 km speed limits, residents are encouraged to visit https://haveyoursay.waverley.nsw.gov.au/changestospeedlimits.