Bus deaths spark new speed limit calls

The Pedestrian Council of Australia has renewed its push for a 40km/h speed limit in central Sydney following Monday's fatal bus accident.

Buses travel along a city street in Sydney

Three fatal bus crashes in five days have sparked calls for a 40km/h speed limit in Sydney's CBD. (AAP)

Three fatal bus crashes in five days have sparked fresh calls for a 40km/h speed limit in Sydney's CBD.

The first death was on May 1 when a cyclist was hit by a bus in Neutral Bay, in Sydney's north.

On Sunday a street artist died after being hit by 42-seater coach in Chinatown and on Monday a pedestrian was struck and killed by a bus at the junction of George and Liverpool streets, in the CBD.

The Pedestrian Council of Australia has long campaigned for a 40km/h speed limit in Sydney CBD and renewed its call after Monday's accident.

"The danger arises especially in the evenings when people may be drunk, when people are hurrying home from work and when the light is bad," pedestrian council chairman Harold Scruby told AAP.

"And then you get motorists speeding up to try and beat the next set of traffic lights.

"There's no doubt a 40km/h limit would lessen the danger."

Pedestrians distracted by mobile phones or other devices and those trying to cross the road while the lights are red are said to be the other key causes of accidents involving pedestrians.

A witness to Monday's accident said the man stepped in front of the bus while the pedestrian crossing lights were red.

Inspector Phillip Brooks, operations manager of NSW's traffic and highway patrol, was unapologetic about recent police operations targeting jaywalkers, issuing them with $67 fines.

"People don't like to receive it, particularly those that are in suits and they hold high office jobs and to receive an infringement is probably an issue for them," he told Fairfax Radio Network on Tuesday.

"And we have had that negative feedback in the media.

"But I'd like to think effectively we've saved their lives. They wake up for work in the morning and their family expect them to come home."


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world