Roads & transport · Georges River Council
Four portable speed signs priced at about $70,000 each proposed for Georges River roads
A Local Transport Forum recommendation would rotate the removable, sensor-equipped signs through speeding-priority locations, using the 2026/27 Transport for NSW grant budget.
Reporting from public council minutes. How this article was prepared
Georges River Council could buy four portable Vehicle Activated Signs at an estimated $70,000 each under a recommendation recorded by the Local Transport Forum. The signs would be moved between priority locations across the local government area, but no sites or deployment dates are specified in the minutes.
The recommendation proposes a rolling program, generally placing each sign at a prioritised location for about six months. Council officers would determine and review locations using traffic data, speeding concerns, road-safety considerations, community requests and operational requirements.
The proposed funding source is the 2026/27 Transport for NSW Traffic Facilities Block Grant operating budget. An officer said Council had funding through Transport for NSW block grants that it was looking to use for the program. The minutes record a rough individual estimate, but no formal total purchase price.
Mr S Lindsay told the forum the signs would be fixed to poles but removable, with sensors that continually collect traffic data. In a discussion about where the equipment might be suitable, he said signs could produce a 4 to 6 km/h reduction on roads where the 85th-percentile speed was about 55 or 56 km/h. That was presented as a general basis for selecting sites, not as a measured result for a Georges River location.
Lindsay also said the grant could fund roundabouts and speed humps, but those projects generally cost more than the available grant, so it was commonly used for signs, line marking and other traffic-control measures.
The minutes record the recommendation and discussion, but do not establish that Georges River Council has approved the purchase, begun procurement or selected locations.
What deserves a closer look
LTF075-26 is headed as a recommendation. No resolution or vote adopting the purchase is recorded.
The recorded $70,000 figure is a rough individual estimate, not a formal total purchase price.
The source does not specify deployment locations or deployment dates, or establish final Council approval or commencement of procurement.
Questions for follow-up reporting
Has Georges River Council adopted the recommendation to purchase the four signs?
Which roads would be prioritised first, and when would procurement or deployment begin if the recommendation proceeds?
What baseline and follow-up data would Council use to assess the signs at each location?
What happens next
If the recommendation is adopted, Council would purchase four signs using the proposed 2026/27 Transport for NSW Traffic Facilities Block Grant operating budget.
If the recommendation is adopted, Council officers would determine and review deployment locations using traffic data, speeding concerns, road-safety considerations, community requests and operational requirements.
Check the record
These passages were matched to the source text. Read them in context in the original minutes.
The meeting record contains a recommendation that Council purchase four portable Vehicle Activated Signs for use across the Georges River local government area.
I can only provide an indicative timeline. LTF075-26 Speeding Awareness - Purchase of Vehicle Activated Signs (Report by Coordinator Traffic and Transport) RECOMMENDATION (a) That Council purchase four portable Vehicle Activated Signs (VAS) for use across the Georges River local government area.
LTF075-26, recommendation (a)
Open original minutes ↗The proposed program would deploy the signs at prioritised locations, generally for approximately six months, with officers determining and reviewing locations using traffic data, speeding concerns, road-safety considerations, community requests and operational requirements.
(b) That Council establish a rolling program for the deployment of the VAS at prioritised locations, generally for periods of approximately six months. (c) That the VAS be funded from the 2026/27 Transport for NSW Traffic Facilities Block Grant operating budget. (d) That Council officers determine and review the deployment locations based on traffic data, speeding concerns, road safety considerations, community requests and operational requirements.
LTF075-26, recommendations (b)–(d)
Open original minutes ↗Mr S Lindsay gave a rough individual estimate of $70,000, and the proposed funding source was the 2026/27 Transport for NSW Traffic Facilities Block Grant operating budget.
(b) That Council establish a rolling program for the deployment of the VAS at prioritised locations, generally for periods of approximately six months. (c) That the VAS be funded from the 2026/27 Transport for NSW Traffic Facilities Block Grant operating budget. (d) That Council officers determine and review the deployment locations based on traffic data, speeding concerns, road safety considerations, community requests and operational requirements. Comments: Mr J Tran commented, what is the cost for the individual sign? Mr S Lindsay commented, roughly 70k. Mr J Tran commented, are they on a Trailor? Mr S Lindsay commented, no, these ones will be fixed on a pole, but they are removable, meaning we can move them from site to site.
LTF075-26, recommendation (c) and cost discussion
Open original minutes ↗Mr S Lindsay described the signs as fixed to poles but removable, with sensors that continually collect traffic data, and said funding through Transport for NSW block grants was available and was being considered for use in the program.
Comments: Mr J Tran commented, what is the cost for the individual sign? Mr S Lindsay commented, roughly 70k. Mr J Tran commented, are they on a Trailor? Mr S Lindsay commented, no, these ones will be fixed on a pole, but they are removable, meaning we can move them from site to site. They've also got sensors in them, so they continually collect traffic data as well. We have funding through the block grants that we are given by Transport for NSW which we're looking to utilise as part of this program.
LTF075-26, equipment and funding discussion
Open original minutes ↗The discussion referred to a possible 4 to 6 km/h speed reduction for signs used where the 85th-percentile speed was around 55 or 56 km/h.
So, where the majority of people are excessively speeding through an area, that would obviously determine the warrants for installing hard infrastructure like that. These signs are more suitable in areas where you might be seeing an 85th percentile speed of around 55 or 56 km/h, where we could achieve the proven 4 to 6 km/h speed reduction and get it closer to the 50 km/h speed limit on average.
LTF075-26, discussion of suitable applications
Open original minutes ↗Mr S Lindsay said roundabouts and speed humps could also be funded through the grants, but their capital costs generally exceeded the available grant, which was therefore commonly used for signage, line marking and other traffic-control measures.
Mr J Tran commented, those block grants can also fund things like roundabouts and speedhumps also? Mr S Lindsay commented, Yes, correct, but the capital cost of those works normally far Minutes of Georges River Local Transport Forum Meeting - 28 October 2026 Page 10 exceeds the full amount that we are given. So that's why it's normally used for signage line marking and other traffic control measures. Mr J Tran commented, what data are you relying on that these signs actually provide any sort of effective speed reduction in comparison to, for example, if you were to assess the cost versus the effectiveness of one of these signs versus a roundabout.
LTF075-26, discussion of alternative grant uses
Open original minutes ↗Source record
Based on the minutes of Georges River Council’s Local Transport Forum meeting on 28 October 2026.
Key facts from the minutes
- The minutes contain a recommendation that Council purchase four portable Vehicle Activated Signs for use across the Georges River local government area.
- Under the recommendation, deployments would generally run for about six months at prioritised locations, with locations reviewed using traffic data and other road-safety considerations.
- An officer estimated the cost at roughly $70,000 per sign, while the minutes do not record a formal total purchase price.
- The proposed funding source is the 2026/27 Transport for NSW Traffic Facilities Block Grant operating budget; an officer said Council had block-grant funding it was looking to use for the program.
- The signs would be removable, sensor-equipped and moved between sites, but no locations or deployment dates were specified.
Why it matters
- If the recommendation proceeds, residents on selected Georges River roads could see speed signs rotate between locations for roughly six-month periods while the signs collect traffic data. The minutes do not establish Council approval or specify deployment locations.