Meeting with TfNSW

16 September 2014
The only way to influence projects is to get in at the project design stage rather than wait for the “community consultation” roadshow.   So, we did.  Along with Bicycle NSW and BIKEast, BIKESydney met with the CBD and South East Light Rail (CSELR) project team today to discuss cycling provisioning for the project.  The meeting was hosted by Transport for NSW (TfNSW).  Randwick Council was in attendance, although the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) was not.  The summary below is not intended as an exhaustive treatment of issues (eg, cycling access in George St?) but rather as a document of the meeting’s discussion points to keep the cycling family updated.  As always, we encourage your feedback in the comments below.  You can learn more about the project here and access the project’s detailed documentation here.

 

 

The meeting revealed the following items:

• The SELR project is to be delivered by a Public, Private Partnership (PPP) consortium;
• Tram stop locations are nearly finalised – although some “nudging” may be possible at the construction stage;
• The PPP will be incentivised to remain on schedule by requiring it to rent the road spaces they will be working on;
• Bike parking will be in the form of U-rails at Circular Quay and all non-CBD stops and bike parking cages at the tram Randwick and Kingsford termini (only);
• Wansey Rd path will now be delivered as a shared path not a cycleway cantilevered over the racecourse lands as originally proposed. (Cost);
• The cycling facility through the Chalmers/Elizabeth/Foveaux Sts intersection will be provided as a separated cycleway turning left into Eddy Ave from Chalmers St;
• The Devonshire St cycling route will be relocated to Cooper St/Arthur St, Surry Hills;
• A new east-west link through a new park (at the eastern end of Devonshire St) will deliver cyclists to the tram bridge across South Dowling/Eastern Distributor;
• A new shared path crossing and bridge crossing of South Dowling St and the Eastern Distributor (respectively) will be built adjacent to the light rail crossing;
• These crossings will link to the pathway network through Moore Park West and the Alfred “Tibby” Cotter bridge(!…) currently under construction by the RMS.

 

We’re calling on the CSELR project to:

• Enunciate a Cycling Strategy (mode share (%) goal, developing riding routes to tram stops, parking, End-of-Trip facilities, wayfinding, security, lighting,…);
• Make available all traffic modelling and signal planning – key issues are the prioritisation of sustainable transport modes at intersections (controlled by the RMS), and quantifying and controlling the significant increase in vehicle traffic received on secondary and local roads used by so many cyclists;
• Include bike-n-ride outcomes as Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s);
• Include bike parking at rail interchange stops (eg, Wynyard, Chinatown, Central Station);Ensure the quantum of bike parking at stops is adequate and extensible (as demand requires);
• Include BIKESydney and other bicycle user groups at key decision points;
• Have construction works be “made good” to the standard required for safe travel by bicycles and pedestrians, not merely cars;
• Investigate the option of providing cycling facilities (path + traffic signals) to permit riders to continue north from Chalmers St to Elizabeth St (shared path) directly. This would require knowledge of the RMS’ traffic modelling;
• Investigate the possibility of permitting cyclists to cross Anzac Parade within the tram tunnel – rather than by the proposed Alfred “Tibby” Cotter Bridge – given cyclists (and pedestrians) will share the tram’s bridge crossings of South Dowling St and the Eastern Distributor and will track the tram’s alignment;
• Prominent, regular messaging and encouragement of multi-modal travel, including positive messaging of being able to carry bikes on trams.