The plan to make Sydney a walking city again

Sydney : They are the city’s “second-class citizens,” a group of a million people who make 92 per cent of the city’s journeys each and every day.Now, pedestrians – be they striding commuters, dawdling shoppers or promenading pram-pushers – are reclaiming the streets.A $60 million upgrade to Sydney streets aims to improve life for walkers who have, for decades, been left behind in a city where car is king.
Approved by the City of Sydney council this week, the Walking Strategy and Action Plan sets out to boost the number of commuter trips by foot, reduce delay times to journeys, reduce traffic collisions with pedestrians by 50 per cent and widen footpaths, as well as improve amenities and walkable access to shops.”I think it’s incredibly important that the city is walkable,” said lord mayor Clover Moore, who has overseen the plan’s development.
“We have to wait so long at the lights here, pedestrians are treated as second-class citizens. The irony is that more than 90 per cent of journeys made in the city every day are by pedestrians and only 15 per cent of people who are coming into the city are coming by car. It’s the wrong priority.”Getting around on two feet on a day-to-day basis puts pedestrians at the mercy of impatient left-turning drivers, short crossing times, long waits and roundabout routes – and that’s before fumes, fast traffic and noise come into play.