North Sydney: Plans to turn roads into pedestrian zones meet a mixed response

An ambitious plan to turn congested sections of roads in North Sydney into pedestrian walkways and public plazas has met a mixed response from local residents and commuters.

A concept plan of what Miller St could look like.

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A proposal to turn sections of congested roads in North Sydney into pedestrian zones and public plazas has left some residents and commuters questioning how they will be able to access their homes and offices as the ambitious plan takes a step forward.

A $26.4 million proposal to transform the town centre with new parks, laneways and pedestrian malls is set to be endorsed by local councillors next week in a move to create a pedestrian-friendly CBD.

A total of 19 projects are outlined in the plan including a new public plaza outside the heritage listed North Sydney Post Office, a new park on top of the disused North Sydney tramway viaduct, a landbridge over the Warringah Fwy and a pedestrian zone on Miller St. 

A concept plan of the new pedestrian zones

The council said the project was aimed at addressing a shortfall of public open space in the North Sydney CBD and would meet a predicted surge in foot traffic from new Victoria Cross Metro Station along with 20,000 new jobs expected to be added to the area by 2040. 

The revamp would also involve rearranging traffic flows and dropping speed limits to 40kmh in a move the council said could boost pedestrian safety. 

Early feedback from residents has included multiple letters of support with some saying it would “return public spaces to pedestrians rather than exclusively for cars” and benefit cyclists who currently avoid the area due to the challenges of safely navigating congested roads.

A concept plan of the new Tramway Park

The feedback is supported by latest crash figures published by the Centre for Road Safety showing 18 people were injured in collisions involving cars in the CBD from 2017 to 2018.

But aspects of the plan have sparked objections among other residents amid concerns they would be left to take detours to reach their homes if cars are outlawed from areas including Miller St.

Similar feedback has been flagged among commuters due to concerns bus routes on Miller St serving offices and schools including Marist, Wenona and North Sydney Boys would be diverted under the plan.

The intersection of Miller St and the Pacific Hwy would look very different under the plan.

There were also questions over how residents could pick up “large or heavy packages” from the Australia Post office with one resident asking if customers would be expected to “carry home” items and called on the council “to stay abreast of online shopping trends.”

In response, the council said an updated CBD Transport Summary would be carried out in coming months to support the proposal. The council said it was also working with Transport for NSW to “ensure that any bus customer impacts are minimised” with figures showing up to 12 per cent of bus trips to and from the CBD are made via Miller St.

North Sydney Mayor Jilly Gibson said the council was also considering opening pedestrian zones in the morning and night so businesses could still access loading zones.

Other feedback from residents also included concerns closing Miller St to cars was “unrealistic” and could result in rat-running in surrounding streets.

Councillors are due to debate the plans at a meeting on Monday.