The Sutherland to Cronulla Active Transport Link (SCATL) has been the subject of community advocacy for over 20 years. SCATL is conceived as a shared user path located within, or very close to, the rail tracks to create a direct, off-road regional ‘spine’ route that avoids steep gradients and links key centres. Delivery of SCATL was a NSW Government election pledge in 2019.
The current proposals are very different from the SCATL promised to the community. Bicycle NSW is very concerned that optimal routes continue to be overlooked. A 2022 issues paper highlights how the reasons provided by Transport for NSW to abandon the rail corridor SCATL are not valid for long sections of the corridor. We provided a raft of workable recommendations for the project.
Transport for NSW is progressing Stage 2 on streets outside the rail corridor, including a narrow shared path along the traffic sewer of Kingsway. The current ‘preferred alignment’ risks creating infrastructure that is dangerous and falls well short of Transport for NSW policy standards.
The eastern section of Stage 2 was completed in early 2024 - on local and state roads. The shared path is not ideal but Transport for NSW has achieved a good outcome in constrained conditions.
However, the complex western section of the SCATL Stage 2 languishes on the drawing board. This section is particularly difficult to accommodate in the road network. It is a very congested area of the Shire with high pedestrian and vehicle traffic due to schools, large apartment complexes and the Westfields shopping centre.
Community advocates have ramped up their campaign to urge decision makers to reconsider use of the rail corridor for some sections. There is a petition to sign here. Please also write to the Transport Minister. Letter templates are here.
Are the historic reasons for Sydney Trains to say ‘no’ to sharing their corridors still valid in today’s strategic context? TOD developments around train stations will bring huge numbers of new residents to our suburbs. High-capacity active transport routes connecting to public transport are essential to avoid 'carmageddon' in the future. Bicycle NSW asks the NSW Government to challenge a status quo that locks out the infrastructure a growing city desperately needs.
If concerns around access, ownership and safety can be resolved along certain stretches of this corridor, lessons learned can be rolled out for more sections, including the Stage 3 project towards Cronulla. And SCATL can set a precedent for many projects elsewhere in NSW.
