Palm Beach is set for slower local traffic, with a 30km/h speed limit coming into force across residential streets from Beach Road to Careel Head Road as part of a broader road-safety upgrade.
Transport for NSW has approved the reduction from 40km/h to 30km/h across Palm Beach and Whale Beach from 18 September, while designated shared zones in both areas will operate at 10km/h. Northern Beaches Council said new signs and road markings will be in place when the changes begin.
The speed changes follow months of traffic-calming works across the Avalon Beach, Whale Beach and Palm Beach project area, where Council has installed new road treatments intended to reduce vehicle speeds and improve conditions for people walking, cycling and driving.
Palm Beach will see the biggest speed reduction
The new 30km/h zone covers local streets from Beach Road in Palm Beach south to Careel Head Road in Whale Beach.
Palm Beach and Whale Beach will also gain 10km/h shared zones in designated areas, creating the lowest-speed sections within the wider program. Avalon Beach, by comparison, will move from 50km/h to 40km/h on local streets east of Barrenjoey Road between Careel Head Road and Marine Parade.
Barrenjoey Road is excluded from the local speed-limit changes because it is a state road. Drivers using the main corridor will remain subject to the limits applying to Barrenjoey Road rather than the new neighbourhood zones.
Traffic calming has reshaped the local road network
The lower limits are being introduced alongside physical changes to streets across the project area.
Works have included flat-top speed humps, two roundabouts, kerb build-outs, upgraded line marking and signage, pedestrian improvements and new lighting where required. Council also included a raised pedestrian crossing on Whale Beach Road near Barrenjoey Road.
Two roundabouts formed part of the program, including one at Palm Beach Road and Pacific Road and another at Surf Road and Bynya Road. The measures were designed to support lower travel speeds rather than relying on signs alone.
Council said in its 28 August update that the traffic-calming program was almost complete. Remaining work scheduled for early September included line marking, speed-limit sign changes and installation of a handrail on a new footpath at the corner of Surf Road and Whale Beach Road.
Changes followed consultation and design revisions
The project developed through community consultation conducted in October and November 2024.
Residents were asked for feedback on lower speed limits and traffic-calming proposals before Council revised the plans. An independent road-safety audit was also undertaken, and the updated scheme was endorsed by Council in April 2025 before progressing through the local traffic approval process.
The project area was later extended to include Iluka Road, Nabila Road and Thyra Road, bringing additional local streets into the broader safety program.
Council has said the works are intended to make residential streets safer and more comfortable for people travelling on foot, by bicycle and by car. The design combines lower speed limits with physical road treatments intended to encourage drivers to travel at speeds suited to the new zones.
Published 11-Sept-2026
