We need you - let's make our streets safer for kids - especially around childcare centres, getting your intel on Green Square life, cycleways and getting EV ready: bring it on!

🚗 How can we protect and prioritise the smallest pedestrians in your neighbourhood?

🌳 Live, work or play in Green Square or Erko?

🚲 Will you help us complete two essential cycleway connections?

🔌 To charge or not to charge? What does the future of EVs look like near you?

This month I've been shocked to learn how many kids under 14 are killed on NSW streets by cars every year: on average, 66 kids are killed by cars a year, as pedestrians, in our state alone. This is absolutely unacceptable, and we need to work together to demand safer streets where humans are the priority. Will you join us to push for 40km/h zones to be on the state election agenda?

Lots more in this action-packed newsletter too... as always YIMBYs, let me know if there's a campaign, cause or issue near you that needs more positive, proactive voices of change, and we can spread the word! And do let your pedestrian-loving pals know about our campaign too! Thank you, Jess

We need your voice: let's demand 40km/h zones around childcare centres and in our neighbourhoods

It's a horrifying statistic: on average, one child a week is killed or seriously injured on NSW roads. The City of Sydney has been pushing for 40km zones across the local government area, but there have been too many delays in signage and implementation across our local area, and so many streets beyond the inner city where kids come second to fast, ever-growing cars and SUVs. Will you join the call to make our streets and crossings safer for everyone?

Above: Red shows > 40km zones; orange shows
40km; yellow shows < 40km

On Monday night, March 13, I'm bringing a Notice of Motion to Council to push for the government to honour its 2021 commitment that all local and regional roads and the majority of state roads in our Local Government Area have a maximum speed limit of 40km per hour by the end of that year supported by clear road markings. I'll be asking that the opposition commit as well so that whoever wins this election, we win as well. Why aren't safer streets on the agenda for the state election: and can we change that?

It's not just about speed: I'll be asking for the City to work with the community to identify priority locations for traffic calming treatments, like raised crossings, with a focus on areas with high levels of walking with children. Do you think there should be consistent controls, and retroactive improvements, to make high-risk locations safer for the smallest pedestrians? Is there a childcare or park near you that needs traffic calming? Do you support this move? If so, please drop me a line at the button below and spread the word!

Local knowledge: share your thoughts on Alexandria, Beaconsfield, Erskineville, Rosebery, Waterloo and Zetland

We know that Green Square and Erskineville are going through a lot of change - development is happening, people are moving in and out, and the needs of communities are always evolving. To keep up with the changing needs, the City has launched a short survey to understand what locals are experiencing.

The last time this survey was completed was in 2020 as we went into Covid lockdown, and it's no surprise that a lot has changed since then! With your help, the City of Sydney will have a better understanding of how to best tailor community development, civic engagement, place-making, open space and land use planning, and local business engagement .

YIMBYs, please take a look and contribute your feedback here: we'd love to hear from you by 12 April 2023

Close the loop, connect the links: we need your feedback on cycling links in the City right now

Enabling the Oxford Street Cycleway with changes at the corner of Liverpool and Palmer (aka outside the Burdekin)

We're about to start on the Oxford St cycleway with proposed access changes to Liverpool and Palmer Streets in Darlinghurst. These plans include permanently closing Liverpool Street at Oxford Street, providing greater space and priority for people walking and helping improve one of the city's busiest cycling routes.

You can use the interactive map to leave comments and feedback on proposed changes here

Connecting King and College Streets and navigating some tricky pinch points... 

This one really is the missing link: if you've tried riding into the City from the West, you'll know that King St has needed a few links to be closed in the chain, to provide a safe and continuous connection for people riding. We've developed a plan to connect two new cycle ways that have opened on King and College streets in the City for pedestrians and cyclists, including a new section of separated cycleway on the western lane of Macquarie Street alongside Queens Square.

City of Sydney will also be running an information session at Queen's Square on Thursday 2 March, 8am to 9:30am. No RSVP required.

⚡ Let's make Sydney electric ⚡

Charge up! The first pole-mounted EV charger in Sydney was installed last week on St Johns Rd in Glebe, a collaboration between Ausgrid, local company EVX and the City of Sydney. It's a pilot program, just one piece of the solution we need to electrify mobility more broadly...

What do you see as the best, fastest and fairest way to bring about the electrification of Sydney's transport? Do you want your apartment building to have charging options for personal electric vehicles, or do you see solutions in streets or shopping centres near you? Perhaps you want us to keep our focus on active transport and away from cars. Maybe you want electric buses and taxis sooner...

As part of the City's commitment for net zero emissions across our local area by 2035, we're developing our Electrification of Transport in the City Strategy - and we want your thoughts!

We'd love your insights and ideas on the four key actions proposed, including:

1. Creating a city for walking, cycling and public transport

2. State and federal government pricing and policy that supports EVs

3. Transitioning buses, taxis and services vehicles into an EV fleet

4. Public and private charging options across Sydney streets, in car parks, offices and apartments

We're also doing a trial on-street EV charging pilot in Glebe with Ausgrid - spread the word to your EV-powered friends and let me know if you think your street would want to be in the charging queue...