Rozelle Interchange inquiry probes rat runs, safety and ambulance concerns
A controversial toll road has been blasted at an inquiry, with a local mayor saying the community has been given a “tunnel to a traffic jam”.
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An inner-western Sydney mayor has blasted those responsible for the $3.9bn Rozelle Interchange which has caused traffic bedlam, saying the community cannot wait four years for a solution.
Motorists navigating the new road network are clogging up narrow side streets, in what community leaders fear is an “an accident waiting to happen”, an upper house parliamentary inquiry into the impact of the Rozelle Interchange was told on Wednesday.
Inner West Council Mayor Darcy Byrne said the planning, construction and end result of the West Connex spaghetti junction had taken its toll on the community.
He said the decades-long frustrations dated back to the planning and construction phases of the ‘spaghetti junction’ which was opposed by the council and some residents.
“Having finally got to the end of the construction phase, the benefits that were promised in terms of improved travel times have not materialised,” Mr Byrne said.
“We were promised Nirvana but all we’ve got is a tunnel to a traffic jam and a park full of asbestos.”
Tonnes of asbestos-contaminated mulch was detected at Rozelle Parklands, a new green space which run alongside the exchange.
The final stage of the WestConnex opened in November to traffic chaos and blown-out commute times as the state government tried to fix the problem by diverting trucks off Victoria Rd and altering traffic light patterns.
Mr Byrne said the mitigation tactics were like offering someone “vitamin pills when what they need is a triple bypass”.
He said residents could not wait until the opening of the Western Harbour Tunnel, slated for 2028, for traffic conditions to fully ease.
“What were once 10 minute journeys in the car around LGA have become odysseys,” he said.
“We’d like to know who did the modelling for this interchange and how did they get it so wrong?
“Are these the same people who are telling the current government that it would all get better with a new Western Harbour Tunnel, which won’t open for another four or more years.”
‘Impacts on residents are significant’
Local state MPs have also told the inquiry residents have reported incidents of erratic driving, getting stuck in their suburbs and fears ambulances might struggle to “navigate through the complex traffic situation”.
Liberal Drummoyne MP Stephanie Di Pasqua said it was an “accident waiting to happen”.
“I’ve spoken to residents in Renwick St and Alexandria St in Drummoyne that just cannot get out of their driveways because of the traffic congestion and the rat running,” she said.
“I’ve spoken to people with genuine concerns that in an emergency, an ambulance would struggle to navigate through the complex traffic situation there, where you’ve got narrow streets and cars banking up everywhere.”
Greens Balmain MP Kobi Shetty agreed with the rat runs are causing problems and said there needed to be more studies into how the interchange had impacted surrounding streets.
“Transport for NSW are measuring the time it’s taking to travel down Victoria Rd but not looking in more detail at surrounding streets and those impacts,” she said.
Ms Shetty said residents in Annandale, Lilyfield, Rozelle and Balmain were getting stuck in unmonitored areas and suffering delays in getting onto arterial roads.
She said there were “fundamental design” issues with the interchange that were threatening the liveability and safety of the suburbs.
“It’s not just we’re all stuck in our suburbs, stuck in our cars or buses trying to get out or get to work or trying to get the kids to school, we’re actually seeing these broad implications where people are not safe crossing the road, people are not safe getting on their bicycles,” she said.
“(They’re) also dealing with noise and congestion around their homes that they’ve never had to deal with before.”
Both state MPs were also critical of the response from Transport for NSW (TfNSW) and the government.
Ms Di Pasqua said she had no consultation with Transport for NSW prior to the road’s opening.
“Had we been included and consulted with, we could have spread the message to our community,” she said.
Ms Shetty questioned why the issues, including a key choke point where multiple lanes of traffic merged into one single lane, weren’t identified earlier.
“I think it’s really clear to anyone that was doing any modelling that there was going to be a severe impact and it’s been incredibly disappointing and frustrating for the community to have not had this explained in advance,” she said.
“I think it’s going to take a great deal of time for there to be trust rebuilt between the government and Transport for NSW, and our community.”
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