Published in the October 2020 edition of the Bulletin

 

Mr Mark Stapleton,

As a family that has resided on Bridge Rd Glebe (near Clare St) for five generations, my wife and I are disgusted in the treatment and total lack of open discussion, the disregard of residents needs and the complications of the impact of this ‘Pop Up Cycleway’ has done. Mayor Clover Moore and certain councillors have hurt their reputations in this hasty decision with NSW Transport.

The majority of Bridge Rd residents, from what I’m aware, are not against cyclists using Bridge Rd (St Johns Rd much safer), but the impact of it now being a 24-hr clearway. The previous 6-10am and 3-7pm clearway hours has worked fine for well over 40 years. Even Councillor Dr Phelps with others presented to Council that it be returned to the normal peak hour times, to no avail?? How can a ’24-hour clearway’ just for cyclist at times between midnight and 0600 hrs be justified?

One of the most detrimental impacts has been on Emergency Services: Fire, Police and Ambulances responding to calls being caught in traffic jams that are now occurring. Vehicles cannot pull to the kerb to let them pass, and the Services can’t cross to the other side of the road to pass because its blocked too.

There are also the elderly and disabled (my wife as an example) who have been forgotten.

Return Bridge Rd to the normal Clearway hours.

Lance & Christine Haigh

[Lance Haigh is Retired Station Officer, Fire & Rescue NSW. He has been Officer-in-Charge of Glebe and Pyrmont Fire Station during his career – Bulletin Editor]