Oxford St Cycleway: Paddington Chamber of Commerce suggest 40km/h speed limit alternative

Plans to halve the number of lanes in one of Sydney’s most congested roads to accommodate a cycleway has sparked intense debate. Now, local businesses have asked for a bold alternative.

Oxford St, in Paddington, where there is a plan to halve the number of traffic lanes to accommodate a new cycleway, between Paddington Gates and Taylor Square. Picture: Julian Andrews

An eastern suburbs agency advocating for businesses has suggested a permanent speed limit reduction on busy Oxford St in Sydney’s CBD as an alternative to removing lanes as part of contentious plans for a cycleway.

The planned cycleway – to connect Sydney’s eastern suburbs with the CBD – would permanently slash traffic lanes on Oxford St, between Taylor Square and Centennial Park, from four to two.

The proposed infrastructure is aimed at rejuvenating Oxford St – which currently has a 50km/h speed limit – through improving its amenity, safety for cyclists and reducing congestion and noise.

In a submission tabled in a recently released report by Transport for NSW (TfNSW), Paddington Chamber of Commerce president Andrew Peckham listed several questions about the cycleway and offered alternatives.

One suggestion was TfNSW has considered trialling a “simple 40km/h limit for the whole of Oxford St to improve cycling safety”. In turn, Mr Peckham told this publication it would allow for all four lanes of traffic to remain intact.

An artist impression of June 2023 plans for the Oxford St East cycleway. Picture: Transport for NSW

“We could even go lower if that was appropriate,” he said. “The speed limit around Centennial Park is 30km/h, and that is shared between cyclists and cars. Oxford St needs the lane capacity and if you add a cycleway you end up with a very strange situation.”

In June, Transport Minister Jo Haylen reopened public consultation on the 2.7km eastern stretch of the project, between Paddington Gates and Taylor Square, saying the original period was “rushed” and it “needed to be done properly”.

Paddington Chamber of Commerce president Andrew Packham. Picture: Craig Greenhill

Mr Peckham said the 40km/h speed limit adopted throughout the Sydney CBD would address safety risks for cyclists, while at the same time easing congestion.

Paddington’s Cafe Lautrec owner Mark Duff said having a cycleway on Oxford St was “pure madness”, although agreed Mr Peckham’s alternative was the lesser of two evils.

“It looks good on paper … in practical terms it’s an absolutely rubbish idea,” he said, calling the consultation reopening “window dressing”.

“It’s going to come to the fact they’ve already made the decision,” Mr Duff said. “But, they’ve been caught out not consulting the community and business owners.”

Cafe Lautrec owner Mark Duff. Picture: Supplied

A Transport for NSW spokesman said it was considering “feedback from the community and business owners”.

“The suggestion for a 40km/h speed limit would require further analysis and consideration,” he said.

The uncertainty around the contentious project has cost the taxpayer more than $1.7m this year alone, tender contracts revealed.

The previous state government forked out $1.7m to an engineering consultant in January to develop concepts and review environmental factors for the long-awaited cycleway.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen reopened community consultation in June. Picture: Monique Harmer

The tender, awarded to consultant Aeurecon Australiasia, was then varied in June for extra design services, to the tune of an extra $40,000. If approved, the path would link to a 1.7km cycleway between Taylor Square and Hyde Park, and parts of Liverpool St.

Delays, however, have meant another contentious cycleway, a temporary pop-up along Moore Park, has been granted a stay of execution until 2026.

The Transport spokesman said the contract variation was to “accommodate further works and investigations”, and funding was accounted for and allocated.

“Transport has been consistent in the funding status of Oxford Street East cycleway since we went out to the community in late 2022,” he said.

“Funding has been allocated to develop a concept design, final business case and planning approval for the project. These processes will determine delivery funding and timeframes.”

Feedback on the proposals will close on August 7.