Road Safety Strategy
- Completion Date19 March 2024
In partnership with Transport for NSW, Kempsey Shire Council developed a Road Safety Strategy to align with federal and state plans aimed at reducing road accidents and trauma.
The expertise of specialist staff and consultants combined with the lived experience of our community's road users and interest groups helped to identify the actions best suited to improve road safety in the shire.
View the Road Safety Strategy
How we got here
In mid-2023, Council invited community feedback on local road safety concerns. Key findings included:
- Rural areas and arterial roads were identified as the primary areas of concern.
- The main issues raised were poor road conditions and speeding, followed by a lack of safe cycling paths, inadequate footpaths, and conflicts between cyclists and vehicles.
- Most respondents felt speed limits were appropriate around schools, with many stating that limits were “about right” in rural areas and within towns and villages.
Council’s internal audits in 2023 confirmed the need for a Road Safety Strategy, particularly highlighting the importance of conducting road safety audits to better manage road-related risks.
Between 2017 and 2021, 107 people were seriously injured and 14 people lost their lives on roads in the Kempsey Shire. On average, there are 19 serious injury crashes and 2 fatal crashes each year—events that cause significant grief and loss for our community.
The Road Safety Strategy supports the Transport for New South Wales Road Safety Action Plan 2026, which aims to halve the number of deaths on our roads and reduce serious injuries by 30 per cent by 2030.
Through the implementation of this strategy, Council is committed to playing its part in achieving these targets and making our roads and streets safer.
The strategy outlines actions focused on safer speeds, safer roads, safer people and safer vehicles.