Fund better streets now. Not in 320 years
Dear Member of Parliament,
The Collaroy tragedy is a reminder of the dire state of road safety and lack of decent infrastructure. Not only in your electorate but throughout NSW. When you reflect upon the terrible numbers, and the impact upon kids, our roads are worse than war zones.
Car-first thinking has put children on the front line
Other countries are closer to meeting their Vision Zero goals. Because their streets are actually designed to protect pedestrians and bike riders. But Australian roads are dangerous by design with kids the most at risk.
The default speed limit on most residential streets is 50 km/h. Even though the UN has mandated 30km/h maximum speed limits wherever pedestrians, cyclists or other vulnerable road users mix with motor vehicles. In many places, footpaths are missing or in poor condition. Safe pedestrian crossings are not universal.
Speed kills on our suburban streets. The recent tragedy in Collaroy happened on a road with a signposted speed limit of 50km/h. There is less than a 10 percent risk that somebody walking will be killed at an impact speed of 30km/h but a 80 percent risk at 50km/h. And crash forces are worse with large SUVs. (Credit: Manly Observer)
Not only that, NSW doesn’t yet have Presumed Liability laws. As a result, vulnerable road users are at the mercy of large, fast-moving vehicles with zero recourse.
And we want to make sure that you are very aware of how little the NSW Government spends on active transport.
Zero point two percent…
Zero point two percent!
These numbers describe a numbing systemic failure. In fact, this is criminal neglect writ large.
Every statistic is a life that could have been
Road deaths are doubly tragic because they're so avoidable. Another life over, among thousands of shattered lives. And there are 5 times more crashes that result in very serious injuries – but we rarely hear about those.
Wishful thinking, car-brained ideology and impotent hand-wringing every time there’s another road tragedy simply won’t cut it.
We can’t wait 320 years for safer streets
So we’re saying please, if you’re an MP, join us and demand:
- A rapid roll-out of Better Streets everywhere
Better Streets prioritise people over cars. They have connected, high-quality walking and cycling paths and frequent pedestrian crossings. In residential areas, town centres and places with lots of children, such as next to schools, beaches and sports fields, Better Streets have 30km/h speed limits.
Did you know that the NSW speed limit guidelines have received a much-needed update. We now have official recommendations for 30km/h speed zones. Previously, there wasn’t even a mention of 30km/h in the guidelines. It is now easier to implement changes to speed limits in your electorate.
- Presumed Liability legislation
Because the crash forces created by a heavy vehicle mean that the driver should be liable, not the child or distracted pedestrian. Besides, in any other WHS scenario it is the operator/owner of dangerous equipment that is held liable for injury and death. It's therefore illogical for the victim of machinery to be automatically blamed for their own injury/disability/death. It should not be the case just because the machine happens to be a motor vehicle. Here is the link to Alex Greenwich's question on notice and we'd really appreciate your support with this campaign.
- A 10% reallocation of the transport budget to active transport
Because 10% of the NSW transport budget spent on walking and cycling would accelerate projects to make our streets safer and help build happier, healthier kids.
With your help we can turn this around.
Yours faithfully,
Bicycle NSW
Put kids before cars: Wollongong gets its first 30 km/h zone (Credit: Illawarra Mercury)
Just one more thing
“If you care about the environment, health, cost of living, social equity and childhood independence, consider supporting our bike advocacy,” says Bicycle NSW CEO, Peter McLean. “Bicycle NSW has been campaigning for safe, accessible bicycle infrastructure for almost 50 years.”
