Mr Russell Keith
Committee Manager
Staysafe (Joint Standing Committee on Road Safety)
Parliament House
Macquarie Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Re:
Staysafe (Road Safety) Committee - Inquiry into Pedestrian Safety
Dear Mr. Keith,
The Council on the Ageing NSW (COTA NSW) is a non government organisation and the peak
body representing persons over 50 years of age in NSW.
COTA NSW’s role is to advocate for the needs of older people, as such we commend the
Staysafe (Road Safety) Committee for its investigation into Pedestrian Safety. It is our belief
that providing greater safety for pedestrians will benefit the whole of community including
older people who experience a range of abilities as they age.
Like many developing nations, Australia’s population is ageing. In the next twenty years the
proportions of people aged over 65 will almost double1. With increases in life expectancy
the numbers of people aged over 85 are projected to rise from 1.6% of the population in
2007 to between 5% and 7% of the population by 20562. Increasing numbers of older people
mean our physical environments will need to be accessible to people with varying degrees
of mobility. Accordingly, there will be an increased need for a diverse range of policy
responses to ensure that our roads and traffic rules adapt to the changing population.
In preparing our response to this submission we have relied on anecdotal evidence from our
members and the expertise of organizations such as the NRMA and the NSW Independent
Living Centre which have a breadth of experience in advocating for better road and traffic
safety in our communities.
1
ABS 2008, ‘Population Projections Australia 3222.0’, Australian Bureau of Statistics.
2
Ibid
COUNCIL ON THE AGEING (NEW SOUTH WALES) est. 1956
PATRON:
Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC, CVO
Governor of New South Wales
Council on the Ageing (NSW) Inc. ABN 31 090 328 955
Level 4, 280 Pitt Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
Telephone: (02) 9286 3860
Facsimile: (02) 9286 3872
Website: www.cotansw.com.au
Email: info@cotansw.com.au
(a) Short and long terms trends in pedestrian injuries and fatalities in metropolitan
and non-metropolitan areas;
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, people over 60 account for 40% of
pedestrian fatalities in NSW3 while they represent 17% of the population. This figure is
unacceptable and is set to rise as the population ages more significantly over the next two
decades.
According the OECD report “Ageing and Transport: mobility needs and safety issues”, 2001
not all older people are frail, and therefore concluding that pedestrian vulnerability
correlates with age is not helpful. Understanding that reduced mobility, vision and hearing
impairments and frailty can occur at any age and therefore the underlying causes of the age
skew will be crucial in developing solutions that are not stereotypical.
In order to better identify and understand short and long term trends in pedestrian injuries
and fatalities we need better data collection which reflect location and type of incident, as
well as age and nature of fatalities. Such data is collected by the RTA and police and should
be made publicly available so that Departments (such as Planning, Local Government) can
better address weaknesses in road safety.
(b) Underlying causes of pedestrian injuries and fatalities;
There are a number of factors that may impact on older people’s vulnerability in road safety
including vision and/or hearing impairments, restricted mobility and frailty. The poor
condition of roads, footpaths and curbs as well as poor pedestrian access all cause further
hindrances to pedestrian safety.
“The roads and footpaths are in such disrepair and the pedestrian lights
change so quickly that I just don’t feel safe going out anymore.”
Elsie, 80 year old, Eastern Suburbs
The Independent Living Centre’s “Your Welcome” project is a program which assists councils
in improving accessibility. The Program is currently available free of charge for Councils in
Western Sydney, COTA NSW called for an expansion of this program to all NSW councils in
the 2009-2010 Pre Budget Submission. The work of this project removes existing barriers to
safe and cost effective access of local areas, benefitting older people, people with disability,
young children and people with intermittent mobility restrictions. The expansion of this
project statewide would improve accessibility and safety across the state and reduce
pedestrian fatalities.
3
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2000) Older People, New South Wales, ABS Catalogue no. 4108.1.
COUNCIL ON THE AGEING (NEW SOUTH WALES) est. 1956
PATRON:
Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC, CVO
Governor of New South Wales
Council on the Ageing (NSW) Inc. ABN 31 090 328 955
Level 4, 280 Pitt Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
Telephone: (02) 9286 3860
Facsimile: (02) 9286 3872
Website: www.cotansw.com.au
Email: info@cotansw.com.au
We continue to recommend that the NSW Government fund this service as a matter of
urgency, it is our view this project should be a major consideration for STATEYSAFE to
improve the quality of our local areas and reduce pedestrian fatalities.
Accessible communities enable and support the social inclusion of all people. Welcoming
and safe environments, roads and pedestrian thoroughfares ensure that people can
participate in their community and partake in activities and tasks that reduce social isolation
and the myriad of health and social problems that arise from this.
Government focus and expenditure on the physical environment often presents cost savings
in other areas such as health. A lack of focus on planning and infrastructure development
will exacerbate other health and social problems that will cost the State a great deal more
than the outlay required for improving pedestrian accessibility.
d) Effectiveness of recent measures to address pedestrian safety;
COTA NSW is not aware of any recent measures to address pedestrian safety. In 2006 the NSW
Government announced a state-wide program to upgrade pedestrian crossings across multi-lane
roads, we are not aware of the actual impact of these measures to pedestrian safety and can only
conclude if pedestrian fatalities continue to increase then existing measures have not had their
intended impact on reducing pedestrian safety in NSW.
(e) Additional strategies to increase pedestrian safety;
The most effective measures to address pedestrian safety include the removal of obstacles
such as uneven roads or footpaths that cause slips, trips and falls and measures that slow
down traffic in areas of high pedestrian activity.
Older people frequently criticize the time allowed by lights on pedestrian crossings. The
NRMA has advocated for extension of pedestrian traffic lights to afford people enough time
to cross intersections. COTA NSW supports these measures and believes they would benefit
a range of people including those with restricted and limited mobility, vision and hearing
impairment.
The expansion of the “You’re Welcome” project would support local councils to obtain
advice on accessibility measures. The Independent Living Centre NSW is concerned about
the safety aspects of several common roadway and footway designs that have been
identified by the “You’re Welcome” project, including:




Intersection design;
Kerb ramps;
Traffic islands; and
Slip lanes.
COUNCIL ON THE AGEING (NEW SOUTH WALES) est. 1956
PATRON:
Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC, CVO
Governor of New South Wales
Council on the Ageing (NSW) Inc. ABN 31 090 328 955
Level 4, 280 Pitt Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
Telephone: (02) 9286 3860
Facsimile: (02) 9286 3872
Website: www.cotansw.com.au
Email: info@cotansw.com.au
These design improvements have the potential to reduce accidents involving all sections of
the community, particularly slow moving pedestrians such as older people, people who use
wheelchairs, people with mobility disabilities and parents with small children.
Street lighting is also an important issue for pedestrian safety given that almost a quarter of
pedestrian fatalities occur between 5 and 9pm and tend to increase in the non daylight
saving period April to July4. Older people may need greater levels of illumination than
younger people, and this is an issue that should be taken into account in establishing
illumination standards for all street lighting.
(f) The current emphasis placed on pedestrian road users as part of land use policies and
in the planning and management of the road system;
It seems our planning and management of the road system pays little heed to pedestrians –
we are a car oriented society and for some time consideration for pedestrians has lost out
to other considerations such as traffic congestion.
It is time a refocus of priorities with pedestrian safety at the forefront of future
infrastructure planning. If this is to occur responsibility for pedestrian friendly initiatives
would be considered as part of any design and upgrade of roads
(g) Pedestrian safety issues and strategies in other jurisdictions; and
COTA NSW is part of a federated structure, in preparing this submission we liaised with our
counterparts across Australia and found a number of strategies in other jurisdictions that
may benefit NSW:






Driver education of pedestrian safety, particularly in current hot spots
Expand, improve and maintain the road and footpath infrastructure taking account of agefriendly principles.5
Encourage police liaison officers to speak at retirement homes, seniors clubs and with the senior
community at large on driver/pedestrian safety.
The use of larger sized traffic signals
Re-evaluate the general road speed environment in built-up areas (reducing vehicle speeds on
those arterial roads where there has been a history of pedestrian crashes or the environment
has been identified as hazardous to pedestrians)
Increasing the use of lower residential area speed zones in the more densely developed areas;
4
RTA, Pedestrian Road Safety,
http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/pedestrians/pedestriansafety/index.html
5
Australian Local Government Association, ‘Age friendly built environments: Opportunities for Local
Government,’ ACT, Australia, 2006, at pp 10 and 15.
COUNCIL ON THE AGEING (NEW SOUTH WALES) est. 1956
PATRON:
Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC, CVO
Governor of New South Wales
Council on the Ageing (NSW) Inc. ABN 31 090 328 955
Level 4, 280 Pitt Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
Telephone: (02) 9286 3860
Facsimile: (02) 9286 3872
Website: www.cotansw.com.au
Email: info@cotansw.com.au

Introducing lower permanent or variable speed zones in strip shopping streets and locations
with a high concentration of older pedestrians; and

Implementing traffic calming measures in areas of high pedestrian activity.

Upgrade pedestrian traffic signals using Puffin technology, where required;

Modify existing pedestrian crossings and their signal settings; and

Provide more pedestrian refuges, painted median strips and kerb extensions.

That municipalities take greater account of the needs of an ageing population by
providing suitable paths and ramps for pedestrians, cyclists and users of motorised
mobility aids.
It is noteworthy to add that many of these measures considered by other States could be
undertaken by the “Your Welcome” Project.
(h) Any other related matters.
“people over 60 account for 40% of pedestrian fatalities in NSW6 while they represent
17% of the population”
The seriousness of this data cannot be overlooked and must be acted on swiftly by the
Staysafe Committee.
COTA NSW would like to be involved in any further consultation with older pedestrians who
are keen to participate in focus testing of measures. It is vitally important that any measures
include a whole of government approach that encourage social inclusion and reduce social
isolation. Pedestrian safety is a critical factor enabling people to move freely and confidently
about their daily business in their communities. On the one hand we encourage older
people to remain physically active, to participate in their communities and to walk more
frequently rather than drive to improve their mobility. When we aim for healthy ageing,
how often do you consider planning and infrastructure, roads and transport as integral
partners? Not often enough!
COTA NSW thanks the Satysafe Committee for undertaking this process.
Sincerely,
Jon Bisset, Executive Director
6
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2000) Older People, New South Wales, ABS Catalogue no. 4108.1.
COUNCIL ON THE AGEING (NEW SOUTH WALES) est. 1956
PATRON:
Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC, CVO
Governor of New South Wales
Council on the Ageing (NSW) Inc. ABN 31 090 328 955
Level 4, 280 Pitt Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
Telephone: (02) 9286 3860
Facsimile: (02) 9286 3872
Website: www.cotansw.com.au
Email: info@cotansw.com.au