Bicycle NSW and Better Streets have collaborated to push the NSW Labor Government to fund transformational change to our transport system.
Our letter to the Premier is here
Please amplify our call to action by writing to your elected politicians.
Let them know that it will take 320 years to achieve healthy, equitable streets at the current pace of change. Use our data and resources to highlight how car-first planning has failed our children’s health, independence, safety, and air quality. Include a personal story in your own words. And ask that 10% of the transport budget is allocated to active transport over the next four years.
We can’t wait 320 years for all families in NSW to have access to safe streets, low speed limits and protected cycleways (Credit: City of Sydney)
Make Active Travel a Priority for the September Budget
Dear Member of Parliament,
We are writing to advocate for more funding for walking and cycling in the September Budget. Because research shows that the current car-dominated system is failing us:
- Vehicle emissions cause 11,105 premature deaths, 12,210 cardiovascular hospitalisations, 6,840 respiratory hospitalisations, and 66,000 childhood asthma cases every year. (Sydney Morning Herald)
- 1,194 people died on Australian roads in 2022
- We need safe, people-friendly, climate-friendly streets for all. And we need them now.
Improving our streets is particularly important for the health and safety of future generations. In the 1980s, 75% of kids walked or rode to school. But after four decades of car-centric urban planning, that proportion has plummeted to 14.5%.
This has had disgraceful public health consequences:
- Australian teens rank 140 out of 146 of the least physically active nations on the planet.
- 25% of Australian children and 67% of adults are overweight or obese due to physical inactivity.
- Traffic violence is the leading cause of death among children and teens.
- Traffic pollution causes 11,000 deaths and 66,000 childhood asthma cases every year .
Transport for NSW has introduced a suite of great new policies and strategies: the first NSW Active Transport Strategy, Providing for Walking and Cycling and Road User Space Allocation policies, and a visionary Future Transport Strategy. But at the current funding allocation, it will take more than 320 years to deliver healthy community outcomes.
NSW currently only spends 0.2% of its transport budget on active travel which is 100 times below the 20% recommended by the UN.
More raised pedestrian crossings where drivers are required to give way will help make walking easier, safer, more convenient. A key Better Streets ‘ask’ is for 20 new or upgraded pedestrian crossings in each council every year. (Credit: Better Streets)
We believe that 20% of the transport budget is achievable, with a ramp up from 5-10% in the immediate term. Bicycle NSW and Better Streets have outlined how this could be allocated over the next four years. In addition, we’ve shown how government can prioritise active transport:
- Aim for agency mode share goals, linking progress to executive pay, like they do in London.
- Infuse active transport into government decisions, giving it a voice in key decision-making entities.
- Break down barriers like traffic committees and divisional vetoes that stall progress.
- Shed light on Active Transport's budget for clarity.
- Embrace a cross-government strategy, weaving projects from different departments into the dynamic portfolio.
Some positive signs in Newcastle. Messaging for all road users on the approach to the Darby Street 30km/h zone. The low speed limit supports a vibrant inner city restaurant precinct. (Image: Bicycle NSW)
We recommend that the NSW Government allocate 10% to active transport over the next four years. Then increase this budget to 20%.
Active transport infrastructure averages 4:1 to 5:1 return on investment due to the enormous benefits to community health, productivity, and environment. And the UK Government estimates a much higher ROI from 19:1 –35:1 taking into account population density, connectivity and the environment.
We need this to happen now. Not in 320 years. Which is how long it will take at the current rate of funding.
Yours faithfully,
Bicycle NSW
Putting kids before cars: Wollongong gets its first 30 km/h zone (Credit: Adam McLean/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.”
The future generation needs safe and healthy streets. But with the current 0.2% budget allocation to active transport, the pace of change will remain ridiculously slow. We need a paradigm shift to meet the active transport goals set out in the NSW Active Transport Strategy (Credit: Simon Woods, City of Sydney)
