Monthly column from Janelle Saffin MP

I have good news for local bus passengers – all bus services, including school buses, now have real-time travel technology.

For the first time, bus passengers across regional NSW can access real-time travel information from their smart devices, giving us the same technology Sydney commuters have enjoyed for years.

All contracted buses are now fitted out with GPS and automatic passenger counting technology.  This means passengers can track their bus using travel apps including Google Maps, Opal Travel or via the Transport for NSW Trip Planner website and get route information and digital timetables.

The smart technology eliminates the guesswork for bus passengers and lets you know exactly where your bus is and when it will arrive. This is a great tool for parents waiting for school buses to arrive.

The NSW Minister for Roads and Regional Transport, Jenny Aitchison represents a regional community herself and she said she understood the frustration of regional commuters who felt left behind when it came to accessing real-time data.

Focus on road safety

As we head into the second half of the school year, the Minns Government is reminding motorists to slow down in school zones.  School zones are active from 8am to 9.30am and 2.30pm to 4pm on school days.

In the past 12 months, more than 125,000 people have been caught speeding in active school zones. 

This is 125,000 people disregarding the safety of schoolchildren.

Since 2019 106 pedestrians aged between 5 and 16 years have been hit by vehicles in active school zones. Two children have been killed and 38 seriously injured. There’s no excuse for speeding around schools.

I urge everyone who gets behind the wheel to be alert to the school zone signs and put our  children’s safety first. 

And while on topic road safety, Minister Aitchison has issued a reminder for drivers and passengers to buckle up every time you get into a vehicle.

One year ago the Minns Labor Government introduced seatbelt enforcement cameras to encourage all road users to buckle up correctly.  In that time 140 million vehicles have been checked with over 99 per cent of drivers and passengers doing the right thing.

It has been a great success with a 60 per cent drop in seatbelt offences and most importantly there have been fewer seatbelt related deaths this year. But the cameras have also detected far too many people wearing seatbelts incorrectly.

A seatbelt must be worn low and flat across your hips and the sash must cross the middle of your chest and shoulder, never under your arm. 

Road Safety Crash Lab testing shows that in a crash at just 60km/h, an incorrectly work seatbelt can cause fatal injuries to the liver, spleen or abdomen.

It was way back in 1971 that NSW first made seatbelts compulsory. We’ve come a long way since then but too many people still aren’t wearing seatbelts or are not wearing them correctly, and it is a foolish risk to take.