Police are imploring the community to be aware of their surroundings while on the state's roads ahead of a pedestrian compliance operation to be conducted across Sydney's North Shore today.
The proactive two-day Operation Focus will run from today (Thursday 25 July 2019), where Traffic and Highway Patrol officers will concentrate their attention in the North Sydney, Chatswood and Crows Nest areas.
This operation aims to reduce the risk of collisions involving pedestrians through education and enforcement at locations identified as high-risk areas.
It follows a similar one-day pedestrian compliance operation conducted at the intersection of Lawson and Gibbons streets, Redfern, and Botany Road and King Street, Mascot between 7am and 1.30pm on Wednesday 17 July 2019.
During that operation, Traffic and Highway Patrol officers issued 56 'cross when traffic control light is not green' infringement notices for pedestrians, 13 bicycle infringement notices for riding on the footpath and helmet offences, and three traffic infringement notices relating to the use of mobile phones.
Traffic and Highway Patrol Commander, Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy, said keeping pedestrians and motorists safe was the command's top priority.
"We make no apologies for these operations and issuing infringements as we want to see people returning home safely; whether they be pedestrians, drivers, cyclists or passengers," Assistant Commissioner Corboy said.
"We've all seen pedestrians not crossing at the designated crossing spots – including a man and a woman who were spoken to for running across traffic, including in the path of a highway patrol car in North Sydney in May 2019.
"We're here to implore the community to heed our advice and work together to make sure there are no further casualties. We're all in this together and we all deserve to reach our destination safely."
So far this year, there have been 33 pedestrians that have died on NSW roads.
Police urge pedestrians to:
- Always use pedestrian crossings;
- Never assume that an approaching vehicle can see you, or will stop for you – wait until all vehicles have stopped before you cross;
- At intersections, check for turning vehicles before you leave the kerb, and while you are crossing the road;
- Avoid crossing between parked cars or at the front or back of buses;
- Wear bright, light coloured clothing at night or in reduced visibility conditions;
- Avoid using a mobile phone or portable media player (so you can hear vehicles and concentrate on crossing the road);
- At traffic lights, make sure that vehicles stop before you start to cross, and don't enter the road if vehicles are moving through the crossing or if the red don't walk signal shows. Pedestrian countdown timers show how many seconds you have left to finish crossing before oncoming vehicles will be given a green light. If you haven't started to cross, the countdown timers can help you decide if it's safe to do so.
Drivers, riders and cyclists are urged to:
- Slow down on roads where there are likely to be heavy pedestrian traffic, especially near schools and shopping centres; near hotels where there are likely to be pedestrians who have been drinking;
- Be aware that pedestrians are hard to see at night and in poor weather;
- Don't assume that a pedestrian has seen you and will wait for you to go past;
- Be mindful that vulnerable pedestrians may need extra time to cross – children can be difficult to see and may act unpredictably;
- Be conscious of the potential for pedestrians who may be affected by a substance, particularly during late hours.
