100 transport & urban academics call on the government to reduce default road speeds.
Photo: Dr Jennifer Kent presenting letter to government to Lee Waters for delivery to members of parliament.
Dr Jennifer Kent has led the movement by 100 transport & urban academics to call on governments to reduce default road speeds. The letter highlights the need to reduce road trauma, which is an increasing public health challenge. Speed is the leading risk factor for fatal and serious injury crashes. Slower road speeds will save lives. The default speeds on local roads in New South Wales is 50 km/h. According to Transport for NSW
“In a crash between a car and a pedestrian, there’s a 90% chance a pedestrian will survive if the car was travelling at 30km/h. There’s a 60% chance if the car was travelling at 40km/h, and a 10% chance at 50km/h. ”
The key message in the letter is “the barriers to slowed local streets in Australian cities are not structural or even fiscal. Instead, they lay in political hesitancy". Dr Jennifer Kent asked Lee Waters at the Better Streets co-sponsored event Streets for People if he could deliver this to the government. Lee Waters will be meeting with members of parliament on this Australia tour.
References:
Dr Jennifer Kent, LinkedIn post link
Transport for NSW, last accessed August 2024, link
Read the letter here.
