By the Editor, Allan Hogan, Bulletin 9/2023, November
At its meeting on Monday 23 October City of Sydney Council debated a motion by Councillor Yvonne Weldon concerning safety issues on the Bridge Road Cycleway. It was a detailed and comprehensive motion with several issues for consideration. (You can read the full motion here). Firstly, the Council was asked to note that a Review of Environmental Factors (REF) concerning the cycleway has never been publicly exhibited.
Councillor Weldon’s motion stated that the legal authority for the temporary cycleway to be in place for six months was a Ministerial Order made by then Planning Minister Rob Stokes on 29 May 2020. It was extended for a further six months in 2020 and a further 12 months in 2021. On 28 March 2022, a few days prior to the planning permission expiring, then Minister for Transport Rob Stokes announced the temporary cycleway would be made permanent, based on the findings of the (never exhibited) REF. (REFs for all other City of Sydney temporary cycleways were publicly exhibited before those cycleways were made permanent).
Councillor Weldon informed the meeting that information released to the Glebe Society under the Government Information (Public Access) process shows that Council staff have repeatedly warned Transport for NSW that the cycleway is dangerous, and that staff have serious road safety concerns regarding the design proposed by Transport for NSW for a permanent cycleway. Her motion said that Council refuses to advise cyclists and the public of these risks.
Councillor Weldon’s motion requested the CEO of the Council to write to Transport for NSW seeking advice as to whether the road safety audit for the planned permanent cycleway was conducted on the entire design for the cycleway and, if not, which elements of the design were not included in the audit and why they were excluded. Also, to seek advice on the reasons a nighttime road safety audit was not conducted.
Councillor Weldon’s motion moved that the City of Sydney CEO provide information regarding litigation in which the City is being sued in relation to accidents and or injuries which have occurred since the temporary cycleway was installed.
The President of the Glebe Society, Duncan Leys, sent an email to all Councillors urging them to support Councillor Weldon’s motion.
In the debate on the motion, Councillor William Chan moved several amendments and additions. (You can read all those amendments and deletions here). He moved that the clause stating that the cycleway was installed by Transport for NSW with the support and urging of the Lord Mayor and City staff be amended to remove reference to the Lord Mayor and City staff. He moved that the reference to the then Transport Minister’s announcement that the temporary cycleway would be made permanent within a few days of the planning permission expiring be deleted.
Councillor Chan moved that the clause referring to the Council’s refusal to advise cyclists and the public of [the public safety risks] be deleted. The clause in Councillor Weldon’s motion that said ‘the temporary cycleway remains derelict and dangerous’ was amended, or more accurately, deleted, by Councillor Chan to read: ‘Transport for NSW is committed to upgrading the temporary cycleway on Bridge Road to a permanent cycleway so that it is safer for people walking and bike riding, as well as for other road users.’
The amendments and additions were accepted, and the revised motion was passed unanimously.
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Its easy to see Cr Chan is a lawman by profession ..& sadly he comes across as more than just a bit of an apologist for TfNSW to me! Cr Weldon’s motion is watered down,,but remains powerful.
That said we must nonetheless thank Cr Weldon, who isn’t known previously for commitment to local traffic matters in the past in our corner of the city. Its encouraging that the final draft was unanimously passed-hopefully TfNSW wont ignore that point.