Walking on this Sydney street felt like a ‘traffic sewer’. Not any more

Light rail and metro train services have reshaped how Sydneysiders get around the city, as figures reveal foot traffic has more than tripled in some areas on George Street while nosediving in the once-booming retail strip of Pitt Street mall.

While 10-year trends show the number of daily pedestrians who walk past Pitt Street mall remained stable on an average weekday, the number of pedestrians on weekends was down 54 per cent, from highs of 90,000 in March 2019 to 41,000 in March 2025.

It is a similar story on Oxford Street, where weekday foot traffic on the strip known for being the historic heart of Sydney’s gay community has dipped by up to 40 per cent in the same period, partly due to construction delays.

But one area is bucking the trend. There are more pedestrians on George Street compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Transport for NSW acting secretary Howard Collins credited this to the introduction of light rail services in 2019 and newly opened metro stations Gadigal and Martin Place, which had “reshaped” the way people move around the city.

Use the interactive below to select a Sydney pedestrian sensor location and view data for foot traffic trends over the past decade.

The intersection of George and Liverpool streets was one of the busiest spots on the strip, with more than 43,000 daily pedestrians in 2019, which has doubled to almost 92,000 in 2025. The location between Martin Place and Hunter Street similarly surged almost 90 per cent in the same period.

The area between Grosvenor and Essex streets was the fastest-growing spot along George Street, more than tripling from 20,000 people on a typical weekday in 2019 to 62,000 in 2025.

“We’re seeing more people choosing to walk because the city feels more accessible and enjoyable. Wide footpaths, calmer traffic, shade, seating and seamless public transport connections all work together to create a place where walking is a natural choice,” Collins said.

But some think more needs to be done. Tegan Mitchell, president of WalkSydney, said slashing speed limits to 30km/h was “absolutely critical” in walking hotspots.

“A 30km/h speed limit means it is much easier to judge gaps and cross roads, and significantly reduces the rate of injury if you’re hit by a car,” she said. “Transport for NSW are failing to address road trauma by reducing speeds in urban centres.”

Mitchell has also pushed for signal wait times to be brought down to maximum of 30 seconds, in line with international best practice in cities such as Paris and London. Most pedestrians in the city centre wait an average of 41 seconds to cross intersections, Transport for NSW said.

“If people wait too long, they get impatient and step out, so that is also unsafe. Reducing the amount of time people wait makes it more pleasant, encourages people to walk, but also makes it safer,” she said.

Transport for NSW has reduced the maximum signal wait times in the City of Sydney from 120 seconds to 90 seconds, and cut speed limits on all local roads to 40km/h or lower.

The City of Sydney has pushed TfNSW to further cut speed limits and traffic signal wait times in line with lower targets, but the proposal is not yet under review by the state agency, which has the final say in the matter.

City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said George Street was a “shining example” of what a more walkable city with fewer cars and better public transport looked like.

“By redesigning this noisy, traffic sewer as a spine with more space for people and fast, reliable light rail, we’ve changed not just how people get around the city, but how they experience it,” Moore said.

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