In order to decrease the number of children struck and killed by cars, a City of Sydney councillor has proposed that drivers be restricted to driving no faster than 40 km/h around early childhood services.
If the plan is accepted, the City of Sydney Council will also urge the opposition and state government to put safety measures in place close to childcare centres across the state.
Reduced speed limits and traffic-calming techniques like widened streets, raised crossings, and road paint would be part of the steps.
Jess Scully, the councilwoman who proposed the motion, is especially worried about a childcare facility that is located in a residential area of Glebe close to the intersection of Mitchell and Glebe streets, both of which have 50 kph speed limits.
"A kid or a pedestrian can die from the impact of a car travelling at 50 kph," said Ms. Scully.
Key points:
- National statistics show that every week, one kid dies after being struck by a car.
- Sydney residents are worried about a Glebe junction where a 3-year-old died in December 2021.
- A road safety advocate has suggested reducing speed and erecting barriers to prevent children from running out on to the road
The fact that there are no laws governing safe traffic patterns around daycare centres in New South Wales is another extremely bizarre oversight.
According to statistics from across the country, between 2013 and 2023, one kid died on Australian roads every week on average.
In December 2021, a 4WD ran over a three-year-old child who was on the playground at Mitchell and Glebe Streets and killed him.
That is completely avoidable, and we can take action to stop it tomorrow, said Coun. Scully.
"Slowing down the pace shouldn't cost anything."
Sahand Mahmoodian, a parent living in Glebe, is troubled by the lack of crossings or stop signs at the junction of Mitchell and Glebe streets.
When a thoroughfare is empty and nothing is in front of you, people are less likely to be cautious and realise that there might be children present, according to Mr Mahmoodian.
Mr Mahmoodian, who has an eight-month-old and a child who goes to the daycare centre, is concerned that Glebe Street is frequently used as a detour to get around Glebe Point Road, which has a 40kph speed limit.
They frequently drive rapidly, according to Mr Mahmoodian.
We believe that some of the children using this playground and those entering and exiting the daycare facility are in peril.
The city's capital works schedule for 2024–2025 calls for the installation of pedestrian crossings at the intersection.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, land transportation accidents are the main source of death for children between the ages of 1 and 14 years old.
Children can be unpredictable, according to Michelle McLaughlin, who is conducting study on road safety for a project supported by the National Office of Road Safety.
Little ones 10 years of age and smaller can be very inquisitive, nimble, and excitable, she said.
Tom, Ms McLaughlin's four-year-old boy, was killed during a family beach vacation when he was hit by a car.
Because of the event, she established the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation, which is aiding the study by instructing parents and carers in preschools.
The number of children killed on roads, according to Ms McLaughlin, can be decreased by increasing education and lowering speed restrictions.
She emphasised that children must be taught to hold their parents' hands as they enter and exit preschool.
Transport security at UNSW Working on the initiative with me is Professor Anne Williamson, who asserted that there should be more to safety precautions than just speed.
"A small fence similar to the one keeping your kid in the playground could easily be installed alongside the footpath. preventing the kid from rushing out the gate and unintentionally landing on the road "said Dr Williamson.
Little kids should certainly be included in the "Towards Zero ambition" campaign.
In addition, Cr. Scully's motion requests that 40 kph speed limits be implemented on all municipal roads.
She claimed that when Andrew Constance served as the transport minister for NSW, he promised that all roadways in the City of Sydney would have 40 kph speed limits by the end of 2021.
Currently, that restriction is present on 75% of the city's roads.
Natalie Ward, the minister for metropolitan roads, stated that the Coalition had no further intentions to lower the speed limits in Sydney.
We'll keep collaborating with all councils and put any measure that improves safety in kid-friendly places into action, Ms Ward said.
John Graham, a spokesman for Labor Roads, stated that they had no further remark.
Reference:
Push To Create 40kph Zones Around Childcare Centers In Sydney's City To Prevent Road Deaths, ABC News Australia, 13th March 2023
