Much-maligned Rozelle interchange getting plenty of western Sydney praise
Despite the outcry from those in the inner city, the Sydney’s most hated new road is getting plenty of praise in western Sydney.
NSW
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It’s the major new road “fix” that’s enraged the inner west, but head further along Parramatta Rd and there’s a different story to tell about the much-maligned Rozelle interchange.
Since opening this week, residents in Balmain, Lilyfield, Rozelle and Drummoyne have slammed the $3.9 billion ‘spaghetti junction’, critiquing lengthy wait times and confusing signs.
While authorities brace for the return of congestion on Monday, it can be revealed Roads Minister John Graham has ordered his top transport officials to come to crisis talks late Sunday armed with possible options to ease the pain.
The meeting with Transport for NSW secretary Josh Murray, his deputy secretary Camilla Drover and senior executive Howard Collins will look at possible changes that won’t kick the problem to a different location.
But despite the outcry from those in the inner city, the road is getting plenty of praise in western Sydney. For 23-year-old Cranebrook local Riley Dobbs, the interchange has transformed his daily commute to the city.
“If I take Parramatta Rd it would normally take me about an hour and 40 minutes to get to the city,” he said.
“The interchange cuts this down to 50 minutes.
“It’s so good for us in western Sydney. It makes it seem like a normal drive. It alleviates a lot of the stress that comes from driving to the city.”
He believes the road will help get more people out of the suburbs and into the city.
“I would be more inclined to go out to the city for the nightlife because it is quicker,” he said – adding that people who complain about the interchange don’t realise what it is like to live out west.
“They take it for granted being so close to everything. The people in the west, we want to be a part of what’s going on in the city. The interchange has really helped us to be able to do that,” he said
Meanwhile, on Friday, residents living in the inner west were given a slight reprieve from the hour-long traffic snarls, with travel times dropping to just 16 minutes.
The long-awaited underground motorway connecting the M4-M5 Link Tunnels and the City West Link has come under fire for its chokepoints, particularly those near Victoria Rd, which forces four lanes of traffic into a single lane.
Frustrated inner city residents say the billion dollar road has caused traffic bedlam, blowing out commute times and confusing drivers, with actor Rebel Wilson among those expressing their anger.
However, Business Western Sydney executive director David Borger said the road was a major achievement for the West.
“The new connection to the M4 is cutting travel times on the commute between the Sydney CBD and Western Sydney,” he said.
The NRMA said it supported the access it provides commuters to the WestConnex.
“There’s no doubt the Rozelle Interchange presents significant value to residents of Western Sydney. The project has the NRMA’s support, but it is absolutely critical that the Interchange has to be fixed,” spokesperson Peter Khoury said.
A CHANCE FOR US TO FINALLY SAY YES
I have no sense of direction and am known for getting lost. So when I was asked to test out the new Rozelle interchange on my drive home from Surry Hills to Penrith, I wasn’t thrilled.
I’d read the stories by infuriated inner west journalists. Seen the tweets. Watched the near collisions.
But when I approached the entrance, praying to be spared from the fires of this bitumen hell, I was shocked. The road was ... good. Very good. Shaving 20 minutes off my commute good.
It’s been called a disaster, a forever problem, but for people from western Sydney, it’s a gamechanger.
While there’s been plenty of criticism from the city’s inner suburbs, one perspective has been missing – that from western Sydney.
To those frustrated at spending 60 minutes on a road that should take 15 minutes, I say one thing: welcome to our world.
There’s three options when you travel from Penrith to North Sydney. Take the train (1 hour, 50 minutes, provided the trains aren’t delayed), cough up $20-plus on tolls (1 hour on a good day), or avoid tolls and be on the road for an indefinite time. The new interchange cuts this time to 50 minutes and 46 sets of traffic lights to six.
Western Sydney is used to saying no to the city. Turning down after work drinks, or concerts, or checking out the cool new restaurant, simply because the commute is too far. Now we can start saying yes.
Emily Kowal
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