Wikipedia

Draft:Better Streets Australia

  • Comment: For notability per WP:ORG, we need to see significant coverage directly about this organisation in multiple secondary sources. DoubleGrazing (talk) 07:05, 28 January 2026 (UTC)
  • Comment: Please remove the 'Coalition partners' section, it is just meaningless page-filler. DoubleGrazing (talk) 07:03, 28 January 2026 (UTC)


Better Streets Australia (or Better Streets[a]) is a charity that advocates for street design prioritising public transportation, walking, and bike riding to improve health and reduce reliance on cars to reduce emissions and improve safety.[2] It is a community-led coalition[3] and a grassroots movement of people and organisations.[4] The group advocates for active mobility, sustainable transport and complete streets to achieve Vision Zero.

Better Streets is a national coalition and Australia’s peak body for safer, healthier and more sustainable streets.[5] It is made up of a coalition of over 130 member organisations[6] including Transport Professionals Australia[b], Bicycle NSW, the Committee for Sydney, Bicycle Network, Griffith University, Inner West Council, HelloRide and Lime.[7][8] It is volunteer-driven and does not receive government funding. It is funded by membership and donations from the public.[9]

The group makes submissions aiming to support active transport and public transport use on Australian streets and to mitigate car dependency.[10]

In December 2025 Better Streets was the subject of a radio program on Eastside Radio hosted by Elizabeth Farrelly[11][12][13] The charity is regularly quoted in the Australian media[14][15][16][17][18], has been quoted in state political press releases[19] and expertise of the group is sought in academia.[20][3][21]

History

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Better Streets was formed in Sydney, New South Wales. It was founded in 2022[22][23], launched at the 2022 Micromobility Conference[23][24] and registered in 2023.[25]

"Better Streets" is used to communicate a transport planning approach advocating for safer, more efficient, and more pleasant streets, and is aligned with the idea of Complete Streets and Healthy Streets.[26]: 124  The "Better Streets for [insert council]" name originated in Enfield, London as a more inclusive framing for changes to the local streets and neighbourhoods.[26]: 123 

In 2022 Better Streets started inviting non-government organisations and small businesses to join a coalition advocating for increased government funding, reduced urban road speed limits and policy reforms, to deliver more appealing and safer conditions for people walking, riding bikes (including scooters and e-bikes) or using public transport.[citation needed] The organisation's intent in assembling this coalition at this time was to exert lobbying influence ahead of the 2023 New South Wales state election.[citation needed]

In 2023 Better Streets started to expand beyond Sydney and New South Wales to other Australian cities and jurisdictions. The group was creating interest and engagement in capital cities.[27] By March 2023 a Better Streets event publicised by the City of Sydney[28] drew 150 supporters from health, climate, local community groups and local businesses in Sydney, over 40 community members in the Illawarra, and the coalition had more than 55 member organisations.[29] Board Directors and other volunteers based in cities other than Sydney joined the organisation.[citation needed] Better Streets advocacy began being leveraged locally by affiliated chapters, such as Streets Alive Yarra, Merri-bek BUG and Streets Alive Yarra[23] (based in Melbourne).

Better Streets coordinated a campaign ahead of the 2025 Australian federal election to seek candidates' support for increased expenditure on active transport projects.[30][31] In partnership with the Australian Transport Professionals Association and City of Sydney, Better Streets arranged for former Welsh Government minister Lee Waters to undertake a speaking tour of four Australian cities in order to share insights on policy reforms including the reduction of the default urban speed limit in Wales from 30 mph to 20 mph,[32][33][34] including a "significant event in Parliament".[35]

Better Streets is part of a coalition of groups supporting 30km/h on local neighbourhood streets.[36][11]: 7:54  30km/h speeds and traffic calming are a key campaign of Better Streets.[37]

in September 2024 Better Streets obtained Deductible Gift Recipient[38] (DGR) status through the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission.[25] Starting in October 2025 the organisation enabled individuals to join Better Streets through a formal Membership program[9] aligned with governance requirements stipulated in the Better Streets Constitution.[39]

The current president is Jullietta Jung.[15]

Better Streets is a member of the Cycling and Walking Australia and New Zealand group, the lead Australasian reference group for walking and bike riding for transportation and recreation.[40]

Recommendations

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Better Streets has five key recommendations for various levels of government:[41][11]: 3:30 

  1. Better Streets advocates for governments to work towards lifting the share of Australian children who walk, ride or take public transport to school to 75 per cent. In 2019 this metric was found to be under 30 per cent.[42] Among other benefits, increasing this figure is seen as important in addressing the health impacts of overweight and obesity among Australian young people.[43]
  2. Reducing the default speed limit for local streets from 50 km/hr to 30 km/hr is supported by Better Streets to increase road safety road safety reasons in line with Vision Zero and Stockholm Declaration.[44]
  3. Better Streets recommends governments design and manage local streetscapes and other public spaces to deliver economic benefits for local businesses by being more welcoming of people walking and riding.[45]
  4. Better Streets encourages the provision of more and improved street crossings. People find it easier and more pleasant to walk in their local neighbourhood, instead of driving, if they do not have to wait, or walk further, to get safely across the road.[46][47]
  5. Better Streets advocates for access to a connected networks of safe cycleways, free of conflict with busy traffic, in every Australian city and town. Providing practical local transport choices through investment in "cyclability" has been shown to lead to more people riding, more often.[48]

Activities

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Better Streets undertakes different types of activities in pursuit of its stated "Vision" of Australian "streets [that] make people of all ages and abilities feel welcome, safe, and comfortable to walk, cycle and rest".[49]

  • Planning and implementing multi-year issues-based campaigns, including leading a group of stakeholders advocating for 30 km/hr as the default Australian urban speed limit.[50]
  • Coordinating stakeholders and attracting media attention to gain the support of election candidates for increased public investment in walking and cycling infrastructure.[51][52]
  • Undertaking communications activities to increase media coverage of the organisation's objectives.[53][54]
  • Organising public events such as the visit to Australia of former Welsh Government minister Lee Waters.[34]
  • Establishing and supporting place-based chapters and groups to take action on local issues.[55]
  • Providing resources including a newsletter, advocacy guidance, volunteer training and social media collateral for use by coalition partners.[56]

Policy views

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Better Streets has expressed the view that mandatory registration of bicycles would be "really problematic" due to the cost of such a system and red tape.[11]: 27:30 

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ Better Streets is the trading name of Better Streets Incorporated[1]
  2. ↑ Transport Professionals Australia was formerly the Australian Institute of Traffic Planning and Management (AITPM)

References

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  1. ↑ "Better Streets Incorporated". Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  2. ↑ "Call for election bike spending boost". Bicycle Network. 2025-02-05.
  3. 1 2 Matthew Mclaughlin; Peter McCue (2023-09-01). "Fewer of us are cycling – here's how we can reverse the decline". University of New South Wales.
  4. ↑ "Support the Better Streets Coalition and Make Your Voice Heard". Zoomo. 2026-01-16. Archived from the original on 2026-02-03. Retrieved 2026-02-03.
  5. ↑ "Better Streets Australia". Better Streets. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
  6. ↑ "Better Streets Board for 2025–26". 2025-11-25.
  7. ↑ "Coalition partners". Better Streets.
  8. ↑ "Coalition Members". Better Streets.
  9. 1 2 "Membership". Better Streets. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  10. ↑ Better Streets (2025-03-28). "Submission to Review of the Roads Act 1993" (PDF). Transport for New South Wales. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2026-02-03.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Stace, Sara (2024-12-19). "How to make better streets". The Sydneyist (Interview). Interviewed by Elizabeth Farrelly. Sydney: 89.7 Eastside FM.
  12. ↑ Better Streets. "(Untitled LinkedIn post)". LinkedIn.
  13. ↑ The Sydneyist (2025-12-19). "HOW TO MAKE BETTER STREETS". Instagram.
  14. ↑ Mostafa Rachwani; Anthony Segaert (2025-11-05). "Why does western Sydney love big cars?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
  15. 1 2 Luca Ittimani (2025-01-06). "'It all flows': commuters celebrate as new Sydney Harbour Bridge bike ramp opens". The Guardian.
  16. ↑ Matthew McLaughlin; Peter McCue (2025-02-04). "Australia spends $714 per person on roads every year – but just 90 cents goes to walking, wheeling and cycling". The Fifth Estate. Retrieved 2025-02-04.
  17. ↑ "Community Petitions Address Traffic and Safety Concerns in Ashgrove". Ashgrove Today. 2025-01-21. Archived from the original on 2026-02-03.
  18. ↑ "Talking to Jesse & Dominic from Better Streets NSW". 3CR. 2023-01-30. Archived from the original on 2025-10-07.
  19. ↑ "New legislation calls for 30km/h default speeds on local streets during National Road Safety Week". The Greens New South Wales. 2025-05-14.
  20. ↑ Matthew Mclaughlin; Grant Ennis; Peter McCue (2025-02-04). "Australia spends $714 per person on roads every year – but just 90 cents goes to walking, wheeling and cycling". University of New South Wales. doi:10.64628/aa.ngahq3jum.
  21. ↑ "ROADS TO REGENERATIVE URBANISM". Chau Chak Wing Museum: University of Sydney. 2025-09-16.
  22. ↑ "Better Streets". LinkedIn.
  23. 1 2 3 Yarra Bicycle Users Group (2023-04-05). "Better Streets Australia".
  24. ↑ Kymberly Martin (2022-11-23). "Octogenarian riding across Australia for safer streets". freedom2live. Archived from the original on 2023-04-15.
  25. 1 2 "Current details for ABN 91 778 269 030". Australian Business Register. 20 September 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  26. 1 2 Sharkey, Megan (2023). "Transitions in Motion: Accelerating Active Travel Infrastructure in London through Grassroots Groups and Activist Researchers" (PDF). University of Westminster. doi:10.34737/w366x. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-07-13.
  27. ↑ Stephen Hodge (2024-03-15). "With the Amy Gillett Foundation gone, what now for Australian cycling advocacy?". Escape.
  28. ↑ "The Better Streets Walk and Ride – Sydney". City of Sydney. Archived from the original on 2023-03-10.
  29. ↑ "Better Streets Weekend". Bicycle NSW. 2023-03-18. Archived from the original on 2026-02-03.
  30. ↑ "Sara Stace wants to boost active transport in Australia for the cost of two coffees per person" (Podcast). The Squeaky Wheel Podcast. 2025-02-19. Archived from the original on 2025-09-09. The Squeaky Wheel Podcast. "Sara Stace wants to boost active transport in Australia for the cost of two coffees per person". Interviewed by Irene McAleese. YouTube.
  31. ↑ "Announcing the Better Streets 2025 Federal Election Campaign". Better Streets. 2025-01-16.
  32. ↑ "Streets for People Event With Lee Waters". Better Streets.
  33. ↑ Lee Waters. "International Travel – Lee Waters' Australia Report" (PDF). Senedd Cymru Welsh Parliament. p. 1.
  34. 1 2 "2024 National Transport Conference Keynote Speaker Tour". Transport Professionals Association. August 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  35. ↑ "Transforming Welsh Transport". We Ride. 2024-08-19.
  36. ↑ "DOCTORS, ROAD SAFETY EXPERTS UNITE BEHIND SAFER SPEEDS BILL". The Greens New South Wales. 2025-11-13.
  37. ↑ "Making local streets safe for bikes". Bicycle NSW. 2024-05-11.
  38. ↑ "Deductible gift recipients | ABN Lookup". Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  39. ↑ "CONSTITUTION OF BETTER STREETS" (PDF). Better Streets. October 2022.
  40. ↑ "About". Cycling and Walking Australia and New Zealand (CWANZ).
  41. ↑ "Our Recommendations". Better Streets. 22 October 2025. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  42. ↑ RCH National Child Health Poll (February 2019). Travelling to school: Habits of Australian families (PDF). The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne.
  43. ↑ AIHW (13 August 2020). Overweight and obesity among Australian children and adolescents. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. ISBN 978-1-76054-707-3.
  44. ↑ Government of Sweden (20 February 2020). "Stockholm Declaration". Government Offices of Sweden. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  45. ↑ Volker, Jeremy; Handy, Susan (12 April 2021). "Economic impacts on local businesses of investments in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure: A review of the evidence". Transport Reviews. 41 (4): 401–431. Bibcode:2021TrRev..41..401V. doi:10.1080/01441647.2021.1912849 – via Taylor & Francis.
  46. ↑ Heath, Gregory; Brownson, Ross; Kruger, Judy; Miles, Rebecca; Powell, Kenneth; Ramsey, Leigh (2006). "The effectiveness of urban design and land use and transport policies and practices to increase physical activity: A systematic review". Journal of Physical Activity and Health. 3 (1): S55–S76. doi:10.1123/jpah.3.s1.s55. PMID 28834525.
  47. ↑ Anciaes, Paulo; Jones, Peter (January 2018). "Estimating preferences for different types of pedestrian crossing facilities". Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour. 52: 222–237. Bibcode:2018TRPF...52..222A. doi:10.1016/j.trf.2017.11.025.
  48. ↑ Fevyer, David; Furlong, James; Aldred, Rachel (February 2026). "Cyclability in London: Associations between the quality of the local cycling environment, cycling participation, and perceptions of the cycling environment". Journal of Transport Geography. 131 104509: 1–15. Bibcode:2026JTGeo.13104509F. doi:10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2025.104509.
  49. ↑ "Our Vision". Better Streets. 21 October 2025. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  50. ↑ "30 PLEASE". 30Please. 21 October 2025.
  51. ↑ "48 Electorate Candidates and counting: Growing Support for Better Streets 2025 Election Asks". Better Streets. 1 May 2025. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  52. ↑ Mclaughlin, Matthew; Ennis, Grant; McCue, Peter (3 February 2025). "Australia spends $714 per person on roads every year – but just 90 cents goes to walking, wheeling and cycling". The Conversation. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  53. ↑ Mclaughlin, Matthew (6 May 2024). "Hundreds of cities have achieved zero road deaths in a year. Here's how they did it". The Conversation. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  54. ↑ Mclaughlin, Matthew; McCue, Peter (1 September 2023). "Fewer of us are cycling – here's how we can reverse the decline". The Conversation. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  55. ↑ Better Streets (January 2023). Campaigning Handbook (PDF). Sydney: Better Streets.
  56. ↑ "Resources". Better Streets. 21 October 2025. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
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