Bulletin 10/2021, December 2021

Clover Moore and the Bridge Rd Cycleway

Jude Paul 

In March 2021, Transport for NSW letterboxed a (small) number of Glebe residents, inviting them to Have Your Say about the Bridge Rd cycleway. (Bulletin 2/2021). The leaflet stated ‘since its completion there have been more than 3,000 trips made on it every week’.

Data available on the Transport for NSW Open Data Hub disproved this. Between 20 September 2020 and 28 March 2021, only one week exceeded 3,000 recorded trips. In this period, nine weeks recorded less than 2,000 rides per week, five weeks recorded between 2,000 and 2,500 rides and 13 weeks recorded between 2,500 and 3,000 rides per week.

The above figures:

  • include both eastbound and westbound trips
  • cannot distinguish between individual trips and multiple trips by the same individual
  • cannot identify the purpose of the trip – leisure/work/food delivery etc.

Based on Transport NSW data, the true average number of trips per week was approximately 2,350. To get a feel for what this means in terms of real usage, divide the average number by seven to get the days per week, then by 24 to get the trips per hour, then by two to get the trips in one direction or the other. The answer is seven eastbound and seven westbound per hour.

In her response to The Society’s Lord Mayoral Candidates Response Key Position Statements , Clover Moore’s answer to Question 14 about the Bridge Rd cycleway stated ‘Bridge Rd cycleway … has had the highest number of daily trips outside the city centre, with an average of 2,900 daily trips before the most recent lockdown.’ The sum again, this time without the days per week – an average of 60 eastbound and 60 westbound trips per hour. In peak hour, that would make it quite busy …

I suspect any keen watcher of the cycleway will share my utter disbelief and alarm about the inaccuracy of Ms Moore’s statement.

 

Bridge Rd cycleway a headache for removalists and residents

Di Anstey

These photos were taken by a Bridge Rd resident on Thursday 2 December. Neighbours were moving but with no access to their property because of the cycleway. Their removal van was forced to park in a private access laneway. This had the effect of blocking access from Bridge Rd to eight properties.

 

Merging a problem with the Bridge Rd cycleway (in pictures)

By Virginia Simpson-Young

I live in Forest Lodge near the Bridge Rd cycleway, and I (sometimes) ride my bike. I am concerned about safety. Cyclists must merge with traffic in multiple locations along the cycleway; the dedicated cycle lane runs out, forcing the cyclist to move to a car lane. The problem is illustrated below in four photos – it is not hard to see why this situation poses a risk to cyclists.