Double Bay to Rose Bay cycle plan revealed

Cyclists will share a promenade with pedestrians as part of plans for a 2.4km bike lane. The $1.25 million scheme, which runs between William St, Double Bay, and Norwich St, Rose Bay, is on public consultation and is already dividing the community.

Walkers will share the prom with cyclists if the proposal is given the green light.

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Cyclists will share a promenade with pedestrians as part of plans for a 2.4km bike lane.

The $1.25 million scheme, which runs between William St, Double Bay, and Norwich St, Rose Bay, is on public consultation and is already dividing the community.

The route is part of Woollahra Council’s Bicycle Strategy (2009) which aims to connect Vaucluse and Rushcutters Bay.

Given serious incidents over recent years the project has been prioritised with the NSW Government providing $45,000 grant funding to kickstart the design phase.

In December 2016 the council produced a proposal for a shared cycleway on the northern footpath of New South Head Road.

But planners went back to the drawing board following concerns raised about potential collisions between cyclists and pedestrians.

Three schemes were proposed as a result, with councillors last month voting to put one forward for public consultation.

Pedestrians will have to share the prom with cyclists as part of the plans. Photo: Alan Place

The chosen proposal features a 700m two-way cycle path on the footpath between Regatta Restaurant/Marina and Rose Bay Ferry Wharf.

The plan will reduce the footpath for pedestrians from 4 metres to 2.8 metres, which the council states is still more than the desired 2.4 metres as specified in the Austroads Guide to Road Design.

The proposal states that where possible the cycleway and footpath will be separated by a “0.4m wide landscaped strip and slim line bollard lighting”.

In the more narrow areas the paths will be separated by line markings only.

The Double Bay Residents’ Association has said they have concerns over the safety of the scheme, particularly with the shared use of the pedestrian footpath.

“Cyclists should dismount and walk between William Street and the western end of the Rose Bay section or alternatively cycle on the road,” Malcolm Young, vice president of the group said.

Bruce Bland said the plans are an improvement on those released previously.

“Even along Rose Bay Promenade, where Option A proposes divided, marked tracks along the footpath, there should be a maximum speed limit for cyclists of, say, 15kmh.”

Bruce Bland, vice president of the Rose Bay Residents’ Society, said the proposal was an improvement on the 2016 plans but added that he still had concerns.

“The promenade should be free for people walking,” he said. “A white line is not going to separate cyclists and pedestrians. It only takes a cyclist to make a mistake for there to be a serious accident.

“I think all over Sydney cyclists have too much political clout.

“The council has tried to accommodate all wishes. It is certainly better than what was proposed.”

The council only chose to put one design forward for public consultation.

One of the schemes council decided against included just one lane of cycleway on the promenade with the other on the road. The council said the scheme would have cost more and resulted in the loss of 28 parking spaces.

The third option was for a shared path on the opposite side of the road. Given the number of driveways it was considered too dangerous.

In recommending the chosen scheme, council officers said the route answered the concerns raised by the community regarding the previous proposal.

One of the options which was dismissed. The proposal included having one cycle lane on the prom and the other on the road.

“It is a design that meets and generally exceeds minimum requirements set out in Austroads and RMS guidelines and seeks to minimise negative impacts on all affected user groups within the community,” council officers conclude.

The council is set to release details of the consultation shortly.

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