Push by Wollongong council to make faster moves to 30km/h zones

At next week's Local Government NSW conference, Wollongong City Council has put forward a motion calling the state government to be "more responsive" to NSW councils' requests for 30km/h zones on suburban roads.

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The motion noted the state's speed limit guidelines were changed earlier this year to include 30km/h zones for the first time.

"The new standard recommends '30km/h speed limits be applied in places with pedestrian attractors and generators such as foreshore and tourist destinations that have limited through movements of vehicles'," the business paper stated.

"This takes into account that vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists are much more likely to be fatally or seriously injured at impact speeds above 30km/h.

"However, there are numerous established suburbs with residential back streets which lack footpaths, pedestrian crossings, separated cycle ways or shared paths and have default traffic speeds of 50km/hour."

The business paper added that "so far Transport for NSW has prevented the council and local community from trialling 30km/hour speed zones in residential back streets".

The motion is aimed at making it easier for councils in Wollongong and across NSW

Safe Streets to School's Lena Huda has been a campaigning for lower speed limits for several years and feels making it easier for councils to start trials was a good idea.

"Around 50 per cent of the residential streets in Wollongong don't have footpaths," Ms Huda said.

"In those streets it would be really a lot safer and more pleasant for people walking if cars were going slower. It also makes it easier for people to cross the streets so it has a lot of advantages and almost no disadvantages because effectively it doesn't affect travel time for people in cars at all.

"I think it would be really welcome if that was possible if it could go ahead."

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