Despite long lockdowns, 1142 Australians, including 66 children, died on Australian roads in the past year.
Across NSW, 203 Australians, including 14 children, have died so far this year.
In Newcastle, six lives have already been lost and many more Novocastrians have been seriously injured.
Deaths on our roads are not inevitable: they are not "accidents", they are preventable.
There are more than 150 cities across the world where no kids or adults have died for five or more years since 2009.
What can Newcastle learn from cities globally about actions to increase road safety? And, what co-benefits would safer streets bring for Novocastrians?
Five co-benefits of safer roads
Beyond the strikingly obvious benefit of reducing the number of children and adults dying and being seriously injured on Australia's roads, what other benefits would safer streets bring?
1. Local businesses benefit: Designing shopping streets, such as Darby Street and Beaumont Street, to be safe and enticing for people would lead to more spending in local shops.
Big shopping centres such as Kotara and Charlestown have recognised this, and have designed people-friendly shopping arcades that are safe and enticing to walk around. Council could work with community and businesses to re-design local shopping streets to prioritise people.
2. Less congestion, more walking and cycling: More than one-third of city car journeys in Australia are so short they could be cycled in 12 minutes or less, or even walked. More people walking and cycling for short journeys means less congestion.
Walking and cycling are also fun, safe, inexpensive and good for our physical, mental and social health.
3. Improved air and noise pollution: We can save fuel and reduce air and noise pollution by driving at lower speeds, particularly on streets with high numbers of intersections and junctions. We can save even more fuel when we feel safe and enticed to walk and cycle short journeys instead.
4. Social connection and neighbourliness: seven in 10 Australians value traffic calming measures and a sense of community. Walkable and appealing streets encourage healthy social connections.
5. Protecting our community: Children, people on lower incomes, the elderly, and people living with mobility impairments equitably benefit from streets that are safer and more appealing to walk and cycle.
What can Newcastle learn? Five actions to get to zero deaths
We have to start by acknowledging that "humans are human, and we make mistakes". Therefore, training and education are not enough, we also need to invest in safely designed streets that attract people to walk and cycle short trips and mitigate the risk of human error.
This is the basis of an approach that has seen hundreds of cities globally continually achieve Vision Zero - zero deaths from road crashes.
1. Implementing traffic calming strategies - such as those that limit vehicle speeds and reduce congestion by making walking and cycling the default mode for short journeys (for example, road diets that reallocate street space, speed bumps, continuous crossings)
2. Setting lower speed limits for particular roads - such as 30km/h on streets where people live, play and shop
3. Issuing speeding penalties, such as fines
4. Embracing in-vehicle technologies as they emerge, such as intelligent speed assist to support drivers to avoid speeding, and autonomous emergency braking to avoid crashes.
5. Mass media campaigns, education and training to raise awareness of the dangers of speeding
Speeding is the most common factor in road traffic deaths: more than drink-driving and fatigue.
Two-thirds of Australians admit to speeding, and a third of these drivers now admit to speeding weekly. The problem is getting worse, with 17 per cent more drivers admitting to speeding since the COVID lockdowns.
Unfortunately, road traffic deaths remain the number one killer of children in Australia. Campaigns and programs that focus on children may be particularly helpful, but not sufficient on their own.
For example, a new grassroots campaign called Safe Streets to School calls on councils to either build crossings and footpaths, or request 30 kmh speed limits within 2 kilometres of schools.
The key is acknowledging that humans make mistakes and designing road networks with this in mind. Safer and more liveable streets are a win-win for Newcastle.
