newy.com.au – Newcastle councillors have backed a motion to ask the NSW Government to consult the community about the 30km/h Honeysuckle speed zone, but motorists should not expect the limit to change immediately.
City of Newcastle supported an amended motion on Tuesday night asking the state to gauge public satisfaction with the 30km/h zone from Honeysuckle Drive to Wharf Road at Nobbys Beach. Transport for NSW would then be asked to brief councillors on the results.
Ward 4 Liberal councillor Callum Pull, who moved the motion, said consultation was necessary before the council could make a stronger case for change.
“The Council does not set speed limits – the State Government’s Transport Department does. Council plays an important role in providing advice, but it can’t make the decision itself,” Cr Pull said.
“If we’re asking the department to make a change we need to provide reasons and evidence of why that change is needed. That is the purpose of the community consultation – to demonstrate the community desire for this limit to be lifted.”
The council’s published resolution does not set a starting date or explain how the consultation would be conducted. The NSW Government must first respond to the council’s request.
The foreshore limit dates to 2020, when a 30km/h trial was introduced along Honeysuckle Drive, Wharf Road and Shortland Esplanade alongside a pop-up cycleway. The state-funded project was promoted as a way to improve safety and make walking and cycling easier during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cr Pull has described the zone as having been imposed by the state without community consultation. However, reports from the time said City of Newcastle applied to Transport for NSW for the speed-limit change and cycleway. The NSW Government funded the project, while the council delivered it.
Before Tuesday’s vote, Cr Pull said he had heard frustrations from residents and shared their concerns about maintaining such a low speed.
“This zone is slower than a school zone and has become a magnet for revenue raising,” he said.
Cr Pull also argued that some vehicles cannot engage cruise control at 30km/h and that drivers of some manual cars can find the speed difficult to maintain between gears.
The amended motion passed 9–4 with support from five Labor councillors, two Liberals and two independents. Three Greens councillors and independent Cr Peter Gittins opposed it.
Cr Pull has cited Liverpool as an example of a council successfully securing a change. Liverpool City Council voted in 2022 to lobby the state to return its CBD trial zone from 30km/h to 40km/h. The state later approved the restoration of the 40km/h limit across most of the area, while retaining 30km/h on part of Macquarie Street.
That outcome does not guarantee a similar decision in Newcastle. Any change would depend on the NSW Government agreeing to consultation, considering its results and completing a formal speed-zone review.
“Love it or loathe it, every member of the community will have a chance to make their opinion of this speed zone known,” Cr Pull said.
