Mayoral Column – Road safety a priority in Penrith

Wednesday, 20 May 2026

This week is National Road Safety Week - an annual campaign to raise road safety awareness and encourage safe behaviours for all road users.

Crashes and road trauma results in around 1,300 lives lost and more than 40,000 people seriously injured in Australia every year. In Penrith, the most recent Transport for NSW data shows we tragically had 26 fatalities and 449 serious injuries between July 2020 and June 2025.

Behind these numbers, I feel for the families and friends forever impacted by the loss and injury of loved ones.

We all play a part in keeping Penrith’s roads safe and Council is supporting this nationwide campaign in different ways. Awareness and education are key so this week we’ve turned the Civic Centre yellow for the cause, while 20 of our waste collection trucks are sporting yellow ribbons to raise awareness and encourage road safety champions.

Early education underpins change and our Penrith Library branches are all holding Story Time sessions focused on road safety for our youngest residents this week.

Council is committed to improving road safety year-round and we continue to deliver road upgrades across the City. Priorities are informed by evidence and our own investigations and monitoring as well as community concerns.

We continue to strongly advocate to other levels of government for better infrastructure for our growing City. Earlier this year, we secured nearly $2.4 million under the Australian Government Black Spot Funding Program.

This is a win for Penrith as the money will fully fund significant safety upgrades at 5 intersections across the City, in Oxley Park, Penrith, Llandilo, Cranebrook and Werrington. The upgrades include traffic calming measures, lighting and other safety features.

Council recently completed an important upgrade along Christie Street in St Marys, also funded by the Black Spot Program.

We continue to deliver projects in other areas across our City, in line with our Operational Plan and four-year Delivery Program, that reflect the changing needs and aspirations of our community.

To find out more, visit roadsafetyweek.com.au and penrith.city/roadsafety.

Cr Todd Carney
Mayor of Penrith

Information contained within this news release was correct as at Wednesday, 20 May 2026.