Dominic Perrottet calls Sydney City Council’s CBD speed limit proposal ‘ridiculous’

The NSW Premier has called a Sydney council’s proposal to lower the speed limit of all CBD roads “ridiculous”.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has hit out at a proposal by Sydney City Council to lower the speed limit of all CBD roads.

On Monday night, councillors voted in favour of reducing vehicle speed limits to 40km/h throughout inner-Sydney in a move they say will slash road fatalities and injuries.

Despite acknowledging the safety concerns that prompted the council motion, Mr Perrottet called it “ridiculous”.

“We have to speed up our city not slow it down,” Mr Perrottet said to Ben Fordham on 2GB radio Tuesday morning.

“I understand you need to provide safety but to have a blanketed approach is ridiculous.

“We are a global city we can’t slow it down.”

Premier Dominic Perrottet has said the city needs to be sped up. Picture: Brendan Read

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore supported the motion. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

At the City of Sydney council meeting on Monday, councillor Jess Scully said road trauma was the most common cause of death for Australian children during the meeting when the motion was passed last night.

The motion was carried unanimously and will now be put before the state government, which has the power to change road rules.

“Three people die every day in Australia from road traffic accidents and more than 100 are hospitalised every single day,” Ms Scully said.

“In NSW one child on average is either killed or seriously injured on our roads every single week.”

City of Sydney have voted in favour of reducing CBD speed limits to 40km/h. The proposal would need to be approved by the state government to be implemented. Picture: Julian Andrews

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore supported the motion and criticised past governments for not acting on it.

“You couldn’t get a more important group in terms of need, than little children going to preschool,” she said.

“It shouldn’t be necessary what she’s (Ms Scully) doing but it is because we’ve had governments that failed to take the action they say they’re going to take.”