NSW Government trial: Push for environmentally sustainable deliveries sparks backlash over congestion fears

Residents of Sydney’s north shore have criticised the state government’s plan to trial the use of e-bikes and tuk tuks to make deliveries, questioning whether it will clog up suburban streets rather than clearing them of trucks.

Residents of Sydney’s north shore have criticised the state government’s plan to trial the use of e-bikes and tuk tuks to make deliveries, questioning whether it will clog up suburban streets rather than clearing them of trucks.

The government is pushing ahead with the trial which could become the new way of transporting deliveries across Sydney, with the aim of getting delivery trucks off suburban roads.

The initiative involves items being organised, transferred and managed from localised freight hubs which would be able to be used by couriers to drop off parcels and other items at homes and businesses.

As part of the trial, delivery companies will need to use “environmentally sustainable vehicles” such as low-emissions vans, electric vehicles, e-scooters, tuktuks and e-bikes which the government hopes will reduce “congestion, pollution, and delivery costs”.

However, some residents claim the initiative could have the reverse effect by clogging up streets with extra traffic.

One of the hubs planned at Waverton would have capacity to service up to 129,000 homes and 94,000 businesses within a 5km radius.

The NSW Government is trialling new environmentally friendly ways of transporting goods to Sydney homes and businesses.

The other hub is an underground car park at Wynyard station, and is set to service more than 250,000 households and 116,000 businesses. The trial will run for 18 months.

Chad Mackay – who has started a petition opposing the delivery hub planned at a site next to Waverton Station – said the initiative could “drastically increase” the amount of traffic in the suburb.

“This proposal will drastically increase the amount of heavy delivery trucks, vans, utes and vehicles onto Waverton’s local roads and quiet streets,” he wrote in the petition.

One of the hubs is planned at a site near Waverton Station.

“There will be an increase in noise and pollution from large enterprise businesses.”

The petition also states the trial could cause air quality issues from idling trucks, noise, safety impacts and could “damage the character, charm and local community of Waverton”.

In a statement, Transport for NSW said the centralised drop-off and distribution points would allow goods to be transferred from trucks to smaller vehicles and bikes.

The trial is partly aimed at getting delivery trucks off roads.

“With the significant rise in online shopping for everyday essentials, cities around the world need to find innovative ways to get products to the people who’ve ordered them online in a manner that is as undisruptive as possible,” a Transport for NSW spokesman said.

“Any successful operator to participate in the trial must demonstrate their use of environmentally sustainable modes of transport and operations.

“Specific details around how the facility would be used and operated would depend upon each proponent’s business model and operational plans and would be subject to thorough assessments through the development application and other approval processes”.

The trial comes during record growth in the amount of items being delivered to Sydney homes, partly due to population growth and the rise in “same day” and “instant deliveries”.

Modelling by the World Economic Forum predicts there will be a 78 per cent increase in deliveries between 2020 and 2030, resulting in 36 per cent more delivery vehicles on urban roads.

NSW Minister for Transport Jo Haylen said the outcomes of the delivery trial could see the initiative expanded to other parts of the state.

“We want (the trial) to be part of our policy to reduce congestion in the CBD and inner ring suburbs and pave the way for broader implementation across NSW,” she said.