Pedestrians urged to ‘look out’ before stepping out on roads

Published: 18 Sep 2020 11:23am

Highly visible stickers are being installed at pedestrian crossings, intersections and pedestrian refuges throughout Wagga Wagga to remind pedestrians to cross at the safest locations and to make safe decisions when crossing the road.

Wagga Wagga City Council Road Safety Officer Emma Reynolds said Transport for NSW and the Centre for Road Safety are working with councils across the State to expand the 'Look out before you step out' campaign to combat the number of pedestrians hit on the State’s roads and to bring the road toll Towards Zero.

“The stickers are at key pedestrian crossing points as a reminder to everyone to ‘Look out before you step out’, particularly over the busy holiday period,” Mrs Reynolds said.

“More than 1500 pedestrians are struck across NSW each year and the aim of the initiative is to drive that number down.

“Taking risks and not being mindful on the roads can end in tragedy, which is why it is important for pedestrians to have their head in the moment.

“All road users are pedestrians at some time in their journey.  When you cross the road, look out before you step out.

“We also know road safety is a two-way street, and drivers also need to play their part by slowing down, especially in high pedestrian 40km/h zones and on local streets where they know pedestrians are out and about.

“It’s important to stick to speed limits in high pedestrian areas since a car travelling at 50km/h is twice as likely to kill a pedestrian than a car travelling at 40km/h.”

Stickers have been installed since Monday 15 September 2020.