Pedestrian safety is a growing concern in the Willoughby Local Government Area and Council is urging pedestrians to be more cautious.
Chatswood CBD is a 40kmph area with many pedestrians accessing the area on foot. Council is reminding pedestrians to cross at designated areas and allow plenty of time to cross.
Around 150 people were casualties in road crashes in the Willoughby LGA in 2019, 22 of whom were pedestrians.
"Vulnerable road users including motorcyclists, bike riders and pedestrians represent an increasing proportion of all casualties in Willoughby," said Mayor Gail Giles-Gidney.
"We are committed to working in partnership with Transport for NSW, police, other councils and the community to ensure safety for our local residents.
"To encourage safer pedestrian movement in the Chatswood CBD, last year Council installed a footpath extension to facilitate crossing of Victoria Avenue near Chatswood Chase," the Mayor said.
"This reduces the crossing width, giving pedestrians a safe refuge to see on-coming traffic and cross the road securely and return home safely to their loved ones."
Council also runs regular free workshops in partnership with experienced facilitators for parents and supervisors of learner drivers, for older adults and provides free road safety resources for schools to share with their parent and carer communities.
"These programs and awareness campaigns are extremely valuable to improve the safety of roads in our local area."
This week is National Road Safety Week. Now in its tenth year, the week highlights the impact of road trauma and looks at ways we can reduce it.
More than 1200 people are killed and 44,000 seriously injured on Australian roads each year.
National Road Safety Week is an initiative of Safer Australian Roads and Highways, partnering with road safety organisations and Government. It runs from 16-23 May 2021.
