City of Sydney Expands 40 kph Streets

Sydney, NSW

Sydney’s streets will soon be even safer for everyone who walks, rides or drives, with the City of Sydney reducing speed limits to 40km/h across the local area.

The changes will apply to the remaining regional and local roads that currently have a default speed limit of 50km/h within multiple suburbs. But on some other roads only sections will be reduced.

“It is everyone’s responsibility to make our roads as safe as they possibly can be for people walking, riding and driving,” Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore said.

“Studies have shown that the survival rates for people hit by a vehicle drastically improve at lower speeds like 40km/h.

“Currently, 75 per cent of local and regional roads in our area already have a 40km/h speed limit or lower. That’s up from just 5 per cent in 2004. This has been achieved through our work with the NSW Government, which is funding the latest round of speed limit changes.

“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. Not only will our streets be safer as a result of these important changes, they’ll be quieter and have less exhaust emissions.

“We will also continue to work with Transport for NSW to reduce speed limits to 30km/h in the city centre and other high activity areas where there are lots of people walking and riding.”

The 40km/h speed limit applies to local and regional roads the City of Sydney is responsible for managing. Most motorways and state roads, which are the responsibility of the NSW Government, will continue to have speed limits above the 40km/h limit. Both the NSW state government and other state governments around Australia have a history of being less progressive than their inner city Councils progressive when it comes to lowering speed limits.