Sydney mayor backs 30 km/h speed limit for CBD as transport authority resists

Sydney's Lord Mayor has formally asked the state transport authority to cut maximum speeds in the central business district to 30 kilometres per hour, saying the change would improve pedestrian safety and support the government's target of zero road fatalities and serious injuries. Transport for New South Wales (TFNSW) has indicated it does not plan to implement a blanket 30 km/h limit across the CBD.

TFNSW has progressively lowered speed limits on some CBD streets to 40 km/h over the past five years and has encouraged motorists to slow to 30 km/h in areas with high pedestrian activity. In a formal request this week, Lord Mayor Clover Moore said more than nine in 10 journeys in the CBD are made on foot and argued a 30 km/h limit would be the "quickest, most cost-effective and least inconvenient way" to reduce injuries and deaths on city streets.

Moore pointed to lower speed limits adopted in other global cities and in parts of Australia, saying Tokyo, London, Paris and areas of inner Melbourne have implemented 30 km/h zones to make streets "safe, vibrant and economically competitive." She also cited local examples, including parts of Manly, where officials and advocacy groups say the lower limit has improved safety and street life.

Harold Scruby, chief executive of the Pedestrian Council of Australia, said the CBD should be included in TFNSW's program to lower speed limits in high-pedestrian areas. "It's the position of TFNSW that we should move to 30 km/h zones in areas of high pedestrian activity," Scruby told local media, pointing to both safety and commercial benefits from slower streets.

Bicycle NSW chief executive Peter McLean said lower speeds would also benefit cyclists by allowing safer coexistence between bicycles and motor vehicles. "Vehicles and bicycles would be able to sort of coexist together at lower speeds," McLean said, adding motorists would not be substantially disadvantaged.

The proposal has drawn resistance from state government figures. Premier Chris Minns previously described a 30 km/h CBD limit as "over the top," saying the central business district has broader obligations as a major international city and that a reduced limit would not be appropriate there. TFNSW reiterated it has no current plans to implement a 30 km/h zone across the entire CBD.

A TFNSW spokeswoman said the authority carries out speed zone assessments at the request of local councils under the NSW speed zoning standard and reviews requests on a case-by-case basis. "Transport looks at each request on a case-by-case basis but has no plans to implement a 30 km/h zone across Sydney's CBD," she said.

The debate reflects a broader policy discussion about the role of speed management in reducing road trauma. Research cited by proponents shows that lower vehicle speeds reduce the likelihood and severity of pedestrian crashes; advocates say lower limits can also encourage walking and commerce by making streets more inviting. Opponents often stress traffic flow, economic considerations and the character of central business districts as reasons to limit blanket reductions.

Any change to statutory speed limits would require formal approval by the state government and TFNSW. For now, the authority continues to allow localised 30 km/h treatments where assessments and consultations support them, while maintaining the CBD's formal limits at the reduced 40 km/h standard introduced progressively over the past half-decade.