Darby and Beaumont streets should have 30km/h speed zones, Newcastle Cycleways Movement says.
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"Our call to action is simple. We need more 30km/h streets especially around schools, residents and on main business streets, such as Darby Street and Beaumont Street," Newcastle Cycleways Movement spokesman Matthew Mclaughlin said.
Mr Mclaughlin, a health researcher at University of Newcastle, said "low speeds save lives and people consistently say they want lower speeds where they live".
"There are a lot of myths about 30km/h zones. They're sometimes seen as anti-motorist. In fact, low-speed streets help cut congestion and don't significantly increase journey times," he said.
"The main inspiration for 30km/h speed limits is that it's a win-win-win. Nobody loses, especially not motorists. The research evidence shows that 30km/h zones around schools, main shopping streets and in residential areas have little to no impact on overall journey times."
He said most trips to work were "not completed on these types of streets".
"On short local journeys people feel safer to walk, cycle and roll their wheelchair, so less cars are needed on the streets, which means less traffic," he said.
Shops and cafes, for example those along Darby and Beaumont streets, would benefit.
"The evidence consistently shows that making spaces safe and enticing encourages people to travel to local shops more frequently and subsequently spend more in local shops," he said.
Citing NSW government information, he said the chance of survival when being hit by a car skyrockets from 10 per cent to 90 per cent when comparing speeds of 50km/h and 30km/h.
"The number one cause of death in young people is road traffic collisions," he said.
"Education alone will not work. We need corresponding changes to speed limits and street design to slow cars down.
"In NSW, two thirds of all casualty crashes occur in urban areas. In these areas, more than two thirds of casualty crashes occur on local and collector streets that have 50km/h or 60km/h speed limits."
The Newcastle-based CycleSafe Network cited the global call by the United Nations for 30km/h speed limits on local streets.
CycleSafe Network spokesperson Deborah Moore said: "The Honeysuckle 30km/h zone was an excellent step in the right direction".
Transport for NSW introduced a 30km/h speed zone last August around Honeysuckle and Newcastle foreshore.
Some motorists criticised this change, claiming it was too slow, caused traffic to bank up and was a revenue-raising target for the highway patrol. Others questioned why the route could be 30km/h, while school zones were 40km/h.
A 30km/h zone has also been proposed along a route from Merewether to the Junction, along with a cycleway.
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