Sydney CBD set to suffer more bike lane ‘gridlock’ as business leaders call for pause and review

Businesses are calling for a moratorium on new bike lanes, as fears grow that a new King St cycle way will add further chaos to CBD traffic and increase congestion.

Construction of even more new bike lanes in Sydney’s CBD this month has prompted businesses leaders to call for a moratorium on any new lanes to avoid worsening traffic congestion and harm to local outlets.

In the next nine months, drivers will be slowed down due to closed lanes along King St as a new $4.39m cycleway between Clarence and Pitt streets is built – two years after the project was first announced.

The new bike lane has been met with alarm by some business leaders, who say the construction of any new lanes should be paused until an independent review is conducted due to concerns over their impact on traffic and also local businesses.

It follows The Daily Telegraph revealing a rapidly shrinking number of delivery loading zones in the CBD was creating havoc for drivers, with our roads the most congested in the city.

Drivers and business owners have said they believed the increased number of bike lanes had worsened traffic congestion.

A bike lane in front of The Theatre Royal in Sydney that is causing major chaos for show-goers. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Business Sydney executive director Paul Nicolaou said on Sunday the new lane along King St risked plunging the city into “even greater gridlock”.

He is calling for a moratorium on the construction of bicycle lanes in the CBD until an independent review can be done to assess the impact on businesses and congestion.

He said the review should also evaluate current and projected usage of the lanes, as well as the justification for its placement.

“Pitt and Castlereagh streets are already under immense strain, with traffic congestion reaching unsustainable levels,” Mr Nicolaou said.

“Adding further disruption to this area without proper scrutiny risks tipping the city into even greater gridlock.

“We cannot afford planning decisions that ignore the broader consequences for commuters, businesses and emergency access routes.”

The construction of the King St cycleway will start this month and continue until January next year.

While the stretch of road will retain three lanes, the footpath will be reduced to make way for the new lane.

The lane will connect up with those on Castlereagh St and onto the future bike paths to be built up Oxford St.

Multiple business owners on Castlereagh St, where a new bike lane has just been built, have reported difficulties getting essential deliveries, with major accessibility issues for disabled customers who rely on rideshare and taxis.

Business Sydney Executive Director Paul Nicolaou said, “Adding further disruption to this area without proper scrutiny risks tipping the city into even greater gridlock.” Picture: Sam Ruttyn

NSW Taxi Council chief executive Nick Abrahim agreed that there needed to be a more rigorous assessment around the impact on congestion before the construction of new bike paths.

He said the existing bike lane on King St between Pitt and Castlereagh streets meant it was no longer safe to drop people off, especially those attempting to go to the Theatre Royal.

“The biggest challenge is the safe pick up and drop off – it’s a very busy stretch and the bike lanes really impact safety because there’s nowhere for taxis or rideshares to pull up,” he said.

“There needs to be a pause to understand what is happening in terms of accessibility in the city because there’s going to be more cars dealing with less lanes.”

More cycle lane pain is on the way. Picture: John Grainger

A Transport for NSW spokesman said several design options were considered and assessed for the project.

“This option was selected because it addresses all of the proposal objectives, including cycling connectivity, encouraging cycling, cyclist safety and connection to public transport hubs,” the spokesman said.

“It also does not require a reduction from three traffic lanes to two, which would have the potential to increase traffic congestion within the Sydney CBD, including queuing onto the Western Distributor off-ramps.”

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