NELSON Bay township has been a shared pedestrian zone for many years.

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However members of the Tomaree Business Chamber committee claim that there has been an increase in the number of drivers who are failing to stick to the pedestrian safety speed limits.

Leah Anderson President of the Tomaree Business Chamber told News Of The Area, “There could be better markings of the zones and the signs could be more prominent to attract drivers attention.”

“Ultimately it would be good to see a review of the street signs throughout the CBD of Nelson Bay,” she said.

She is concerned that people aren’t educated about the shared zone rules, leading to drivers and pedestrians not knowing who has right of way and failure to adhere to shared zone speed limits could lead to pedestrian injuries.

Shared zones are specifically designed to give pedestrians priority, particularly where there are comparatively high pedestrian volumes.

According to the NSW Roads Transport and Maritime Services, shared zones are created to improve pedestrian safety and amenity.

The shared zone speeds in Nelson Bay are 10 km per hour through the CBD on Stockton and Magnus Streets and 40km per hour on Victoria Parade.

For those who drive locally this could be a wakeup call on the 10km per hour speed limit in Stockton and Magnus Streets.

By Marian SAMPSON