We announced in a news article that the NSW Government is creating a 40km/h speed limit zone in the Sydney CBD, from the end of 2014. Safety of CBD pedestrians is the main factor for the new speed zone.
As a driver who drives in the Sydney CBD every week day, it seems to me that there are other issues which need to be resolved and which will greatly increase pedestrian safety.
In fact, it is not often that traffic reaches 40km/h, particularly during peak periods.
It seems to me that pedestrians themselves are a part of the problem that needs to be addressed. Pedestrians need to take responsibility for their own actions and need to be accountable for those actions.
Other than a recent publicised blitz by police in the CBD, there is no enforcement of laws affecting pedestian behaviour or safety.
Pedestrians walk contrary to the lights and cross major roads within very short distances from designated crossings. This needs to be policed.
Some aspects of pedestrian behaviour are simple common sense. Some pedestrians are so absorbed in mobile phone conversations that they forget to even check for traffic before blindly walking through an intersection.
We can not enforce common sense, but pedestrians need to be accountable for their actions and where regulations apply to pedestrians they should be enforced, as they are with other road users.
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