North Balgowlah’s road-safety upgrade is complete, with new crossings, speed humps and other traffic-calming measures now installed across the neighbourhood ahead of a 40km/h speed limit taking effect.
Northern Beaches Council said the physical works were finished by 4 September, bringing to a close months of construction across local streets. Transport for NSW has also approved Council’s application to lower the speed limit from 50km/h to 40km/h, with new signs and road markings to be in place before the change begins.
Months of construction changed local streets
Construction ran from March to early September, with works carried out on streets including Daisy Street, Woodbine Street, Tottenham Street, Kalaui Street and Serpentine Crescent.
The project has included pedestrian crossings, flat-top speed humps, roundabouts, footpath upgrades and other traffic-calming measures. Council reported in June that new footpaths, kerbs and crossings were taking shape across several streets.
Plans also included stamped asphalt on Serpentine Crescent near the Burnt Bridge Creek bike track to alert drivers to cyclists entering the road, along with double centre lines around bends.
Traffic committee documents detail flat-top speed humps on Bangaroo Street, Water Reserve Road, Kalaui Street and Daisy Street, as well as other measures intended to support a lower-speed environment.
Speeding and cut-through traffic drove the project
Council said North Balgowlah was selected for the program because of its crash history, local shopping areas, high levels of walking and cycling and concerns about traffic using local streets as a shortcut.
Traffic committee papers also record complaints about speeding and heavy traffic on Woodbine Street and Bangaroo Street. Seven-day studies cited in the documents found 85 per cent of vehicles were travelling above the posted 50km/h limit on Woodbine Street and Myrtle Street.
Residents helped reshape the design
Council consulted residents in October and November 2024 on speed limits, crossings, footpaths and traffic-calming measures. Feedback led to revisions before councillors endorsed the updated proposal in April 2025.
Some residents objected to the number of traffic-calming devices, proposed chicanes on quieter streets and the loss of parking linked to pedestrian-safety works. Councillors asked the traffic committee to review measures that had attracted the strongest objections.
Council estimated 29 parking spaces would be lost as part of the pedestrian-safety works. Project material says designs were adjusted where possible to retain parking while maintaining the safety measures.
40km/h limit is the latest change
The speed-limit reduction will bring the regulatory side of the project into line with the physical changes already made on local streets.
NSW road rules set 50km/h as the default limit in built-up areas where no other limit is signposted. Local traffic areas can operate at 40km/h, while NSW speed-zoning standards allow lower limits in suburban streets supported by traffic-calming treatments.
Published 07-Sept-2026
