All over the world people have had original, sometimes quirky, ideas about how to slow us down on the roads. England uses smileys, France creates cardboard cut-outs to represent fatalities, India is trialling virtual speed bumps.
Wonky walkers are a familiar sight – somebody walking across the road while stabbing at their mobile phone. Who has not felt frustrated with the pedestrian who is so captivated they don’t look where they are going?
The fact is more pedestrians died on NSW roads in 2015 than 2014. There were 61 fatalities in 2015, compared to 41 in 2014 – 17.5% of all deaths on the road. Sadly, 17-25 year olds have the second highest risk of death as pedestrians (after older pedestrians, 75 years and over).
Nearly 350 people died on the roads in NSW last year, according to preliminary 2015 road toll figures from Centre of Road Safety.
Regular drivers to the Sydney CBD are being forced to slow down. From April this year, 40kmh speed limits will apply across a larger zone.
Many people in the CBD are on foot and some take unncessary risks when crossing the roads. In the past 10 years, 12 have died and more than 1,400 have been injured. (In fact, pedestrian deaths saw the highest increase in all of NSW, up 48.7%, from 41 deaths in 2014 to 61 in 2015.)
During 2015, more Australians than ever went out to buy a new motor vehicle. They bought 1,155,408 new passenger cars, sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and commercial vehicles. This was 3.8% more than in 2014 and it broke the record set in 2013.
SUVs were so popular, sales grew 15.9% and took up a whopping 35.4% of the market, up from 31.7% in 2014. In fact, Australians bought more SUVs than small cars, even though small cars were four of the top 10 bestsellers.
In an effort to reduce wear and tear on country roads, as well as make transportation more efficient, the state government developed the NSW Livestock Loading Scheme (NSWLLS) in 2012. The Scheme also includes driver education and practical training for professional drivers, to help ensure the safety of all road users.
However, while not everyone is yet on board with the scheme, an independent review has found that the benefits to country roads as well as regional residents and workers could be great.
It’s not news that anyone wants to hear, but there has recently been a sharp rise in the New South Wales road toll, with 15 people killed over the course of two short weeks.
“With warmer weather across NSW, it seems some drivers are taking good driving conditions for granted, which is costing lives on our roads,” John Hartley, assistant commissioner of NSW’s Traffic and Highway Patrol Command told the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH).
Smartphones have an undeniable presence in the lives of Australians, a fact that has not gone unnoticed by developers, corporates and even government bodies. Now, Transport NSW has joined the crusade with its own range of smartphone applications, or apps to assist the state’s road users.
There is good news for Penrith residents concerning the Nepean River Green Bridge upgrade. Transport for New South Wales reports that tenders have been invited for the construction of the cycle and pedestrian access bridge between Penrith and Emu Plains.
The project is intended to provide an alternative to the Victoria Bridge, where non-motorists currently have to share the crossing with other road users such as trucks and passenger vehicles.
The city of Sydney, while having so much to offer its 4 million plus residents, also hosts some of the country’s most congested roads. According to TomTom’s latest Traffic Index report, Sydney commuters can expect to spend just under four days a year sitting in traffic, and it now ranks as one of the top 25 most congested cities in the world. It is time for some major road upgrades.
If you didn’t find the answer to your question, please send it to us and we will answer it as soon as we can.