Recent Initiatives and Decisions
Notes 4 June Meeting – City of Sydney Cycling Advisory Committee
Attached is the Regional Network Map.
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Priorities and implementation progress are summarised below.
The City has decided, after 'flack' about the Bourke Rd facility, works needed to be put into context - connecting Sydney City and its places with its residential and surrounding neighbouring local government areas.
Prime regional routes:
- R1 - North Sydney to Edgecliff
Kent St is progressing well with the underpass connection with the Bradfield Hwy shared path now almost completed (see attached JPEG).
The underpass is now open, but the more direct crossing awaits new lights.
King St is the only viable east-west link and design is progressing.
College St to Park is delayed due to retaining wall collapse (unrelated mishap). - R2 - City Centre to Mascot
College St bicycle-road between Whitlam Sq and Park should be opened late June.
Designs for George St (Redfern) for bi-directional bicycle-road well advanced.
Bourke Rd is open with user stats:
- 250 peak; 49% increase in 3 months; now 1 cyclist/minute
- survey reveals - 6,000 car parking spaces (on & off street) in areas up to a block deep either side, for 7,000 employees, with 284 kerbside parking spaces lost (See video)
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/AboutSydney/ParkingAndTransport/Cycling/Default.asp - R4 - Rozelle to UNSW
Anzac - Pyrmont Bridge link, Including Union St, almost completed.
Flinders Street between Taylor Sq & Moore Park/Anzac Pde (under investigation).
Victoria Rd (in Leichhardt LGA) is being upgraded as part of the Bus-way system with wider shared path access and new replacement of narrow footbridge over Victoria Rd. - R9 - Sydney Park to Centennial Park
(under investigation)
Shared path template being tested. - R11 - Johnson Canal to City South
Shared path along canal under design (mid-section in Leichhardt LGA under investigation) - Southern Boundary: Gardiners Road's northern side is being developed as a shared path to ensure that cyclists may reach the two existing regional and local routes northward, safely. Necessary ramps and footpath repairs to be started soon.
- R6 - Leichhardt to Perry Park
Missenden Rd: Shared path design and traffic light crossing modelled.
Modelling is to be used to convince Prince Alfred Hospital that pedestrians and cyclists may successfully and safely use the proposed facilities. (See attached JPEG)
The STA has test run bus lane widths and now insists that for safe operation adjacent to parking lane, that 3.25 m lane width is minimum (This means that in a normal 12.8 m road width, 2.0 m parking lane one side and 400 mm separation island between road traffic and cycleway that the bicycle road width would be 100 mm below standard! This is problematic.) - R10 - Newtown to Bondi Junction
Investigation under way.
At the eastern end through Edmund Resch Park, the new shared path signage will be installed by end of June as one of several test cases.
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Bourke Street/Road
- Stage 1 - Woolloomooloo to William St
This will be opened in late June.
Local promotion is proposed.
A flyer will be dropped with all households in the affected basin to inform them of the drainage works, footpath up-grade, new bus-shelters, landscaping, including rain-gardens fed by stormwater and of the bi-directional cycleway.
Signals across William Street are now completed and will shortly be commissioned. - Stage 2 - Phillip St to Cleveland St construction almost completed.
One-way traffic was introduced during construction and will apply north of Cleveland St.
Small Projects
- Network gaps in Erskineville are being addressed.
- Some contra-flow lanes in the CBD are under investigation.
Shared Paths
- A program of Pram-ramps along routes is progressing.
- Blue-line marking trials are about to begin (contract let) and large new logos are also to be trialled (adjacent to Redfern Park and at ends of College Street cycleway.
- Cyclists and pedestrian users will subsequently be interviewed.
Behaviour change
- Strategy is about to commence.
- Material for strategy is being tested by a small community reference working group.
- Events have attracted highly favourable response to the bicycle proposals.
- A 'Generic' Bike Network Flyer is about to be launched.
- A radio program is proposed - 'Sydney needs cycleways'.
- Courses will be re-started, but focus on selected localities.
AECOM's Report
- The economic evaluation of the proposed Inner Region Bicycle Network received very prominent coverage.
Adrian Boss
BIKEast representative
Cycling Advisory Committee
5 June 2010
Draft on Exhibition - Woollahra Bicycle Strategy and Review of Woollahra Bike Plan (2000)
Please see this draft Strategy and make an urgent submission.
Consider commenting on what you like and wish to see as priority actions for implementation and supporting early finalisation of the Strategy and the adoption of a revised Bike Plan.
It is very important we get many supporting submissions because the Strategy is facing considerable opposition among some Councillors.
Written submissions in relation to this Bicycle Strategy may be lodged by 4.30pm, Thursday 24 September 2009.
Submissions should be addressed to the General Manager, PO Box 61, Double Bay NSW 1360, or faxed to 9391 7044, or emailed to records@woollahra.nsw.gov.au
For access to the background and a copy of the Plan, visit http://www.woollahra.nsw.gov.au/council/public_notices/list/woollahra_bicycle_strategy_-and-_review
Adrian Boss
Woollahra Coordinator - BIKEast
8 September 2009
Woollahra's draft Bicycle Strategy & Bike Plan 2000 Review
In July, the Woollahra Bike Plan Working Party (on which BIKEast & BNSW are represented), considered a draft of Woollahra's Bicycle Strategy & Bike Plan 2000. It recommended that the draft be exhibited. At its meeting held Monday 10 August, Community & Environment Committee referred the question whether to exhibit or not to the full Council, as several Councillors wished to debate safety and other concerns. The Councillors will be considering whether or not to exhibit this draft document at their next meeting 24 August 2009. It is important to make this draft document public and exhibit it to allow public consideration and submissions to be made.
Please support BIKEast by attending Council meetings to make sure that the wider community's interests in bicycling are taken seriously by Councillors, many of whom are opposed to undertaking further initiatives at all. One Councillor moved to prevent its exhibition and some Councillors are opposed to continuing development of bicycle facilities and services. Indeed, the Council suspended implementation of its adopted Bike Plan last year (despite gaining some RTA funding for projects - since lost). Many councillors are very concerned about safety and seem unconvinced that Council's efforts are worthwhile or even beneficial. Probably a majority of Councillors are presently opposed to 'shared path' use.
The above mentioned Strategy addresses the safety issues, priorities and the many benefits to be gained in implementing the Bike Plan. Bike Plan 2000 has about half its route network developed. But this means many missing links in the network, particularly along and across main roads. Shared paths have been listed for implementation in the long-term. This will provide time to address the safety issues, assess cyclist behaviour on existing shared paths and investigate other options, particularly with the RTA. (Also, the experience with use of the City of Sydney's many proposed shared paths, which will be implemented over the next 3 - 4 years will help the case for using these)
Nevertheless, BIKEast has a concern that a majority of Councillors may not support pursuit of actions proposed under the Strategy, even if sufficient support is gained to exhibit it. This means, keeping a careful watch over its progress and lobbying Councillors at every stage.
Make your views known
Please also consider responding thoughtfully by writing, in you own words ASAP, to the Mayor (Councillor Andrew Petrie) or one or all of the Councillors in your Ward, requesting support for exhibition, finalisation and adoption of the proposed Strategy.
http://www.woollahra.nsw.gov.au/council/mayor_and_councilors/profiles
Email the Mayor of Woollahra, at andrew.petrie@woollahra.nsw.gov.au
Adrian Boss
Woollahra Coordinator - BIKEast
13 August 2009
Safe Crossing Link Between Paddington And Rushcutters Bay Park
The Roads and Traffic Authority has decided to fund and provide a traffic light controlled pedestrian crossing of New South Head Road at Neild Avenue to reach Rushcutters Bay Park. This will safely connect Paddington with that Park and beyond. It is understood that it is scheduled for the current financial year (this needs to be confirmed).
Under the Woollahra Bike Plan this is a missing bicycling connection. Therefore bike riding this crossing should be considered as part of finalising the crossing design and traffic controls.
This RTA decision has followed years of representations and participation in workshops by BIKEast representatives (and other community groups like The Paddington Society), Woollahra Council and through the support and representations made to the NSW Government by the Member for Sydney, Clover Moore MP, Lord Mayor of Sydney.
The crossing will link up proposed bicycle facilities along Neild Avenue (Route 11) across New South Head Road to the existing shared path that runs through the park (Route 12) and with the major proposed east-west facility (Route 2) connecting the north-eastern parts of Woollahra LGA with the City of Sydney, which facility is to somehow run parallel to this State road. No designs for the proposed facilities have been prepared.
It is now essential that the design of the crossing and the proposed bicycle facility along Neild Avenue be fully considered by the two Councils and the RTA. The location, if not the final design, of the section of Route 2 parallel to the park connecting up with the City of Sydney's Bicycling Strategy and Action Plan paired routes (down Kings Cross Road and up Craigend Street) should also be considered and agreed to ensure a fit with the new crossing.
A timely submission for consideration and resolution through Woollahra Council's Bicycle Working Party, its Traffic Committee and the Council, in consultation with the RTA and the City of Sydney, is required.
Submitted for discussion at the proposed 18 October 2008 Bike Plan Working Party meeting.
Adrian Boss
Woollahra Coordinator – BIKEast
4 November 2008