Changes for thousands of people who walk and ride bikes.
The Westconnex Rozelle Interchange project proposes changing connections between the inner west and central Sydney.
This is a complicated project and Bicycle NSW has devoted significant time to meetings, reviews and providing feedback. The Lilyfield Road cycleway that runs through this area has one of the highest rates of use of any piece of bike infrastructure in NSW.
Many people walking and riding bikes depend on key infrastructure. For instance, infrastructure that enables safe crossing of multiple lanes of traffic on Victoria Road and the CityWest Link. The final project design is still being finalised. However, it should enable people to cross safely.
Unfortunately during the works these safe connections will be lost. In addition, the proposed alternatives do not offer enough space for the volumes of bike and pedestrian traffic to travel, wait or cross these roads. Also, some detours for people riding bikes also involve steep hills and make journeys much longer.
A petition has been started calling for the project to provide a safe alternative to help people complete their journeys. Secondly, it suggests diverting riders across the Glebe Island Bridge. Resulting in a potential safe connection that could help people riding bikes to complete their journey.
Concerns raised
The above video explains what’s happening on this complicated project.
“We understand this project is complex and project managers need to find a safe way for large numbers of people riding bikes and walking to travel through the area,” said General Manager of Public Affairs, Bastien Wallace.
“We share concerns that the overcrowding of paths and road islands could lead to people falling into the path of cars,” said Bastien.
Bicycle NSW supports efforts to create safe alternative routes free of traffic and suitable for people of all ages to walk and ride bikes.