Labor warns of traffic madness after Sydney light rail completion

Drivers are being warned of an impending traffic disaster in Sydney as a deeply unpopular transport project edges closer to completion.

It often seems as though the people of Sydney are stuck between a rock and hard place when it comes to fixing their city’s problems.

Almost everyone agrees its public transport is not up to scratch and its roads are in dire need of improvement.

The Liberals will tell you Labor has an appalling track record (or lack of one) when it comes to opening major infrastructure projects.

On the other side, Labor can say just two words that would make anyone living in the city’s east who’s thinking of voting Liberal think twice on Saturday — “light rail”.

Speaking to residents from suburbs of Kingsford, Randwick and Coogee, it’s clear they are not impressed by the government’s massively delayed and over-budget $2.1 billion project linking the southeast to the CBD.

“It feels like a nightmare that’s never going to end,” said Tom Davies, a business analyst from Kensington.

“The noise, the traffic and the uncertainty of whether it’s even going to be worth it all when it’s finished, people around here are just sick and tired of it.”

Transport Minister Andrew Constance told news.com.au in the coming weeks testing would extend to Moore Park, Surry Hills and Central, but residents along the project’s route fear the worst won’t be over once the trams start running.

The light at the end of the tunnel is in sight, or is it? Picture: John Grainger

There are fears a series of choke points could emerge at various points along the route.

Labor says the proposed light rail vehicles (LRVs) for the project are 67m in length — which makes them the longest LRVs in the world.

NSW Opposition spokeswoman on transport, Jodi McKay, says this means it would take an LRV around 12 seconds to cross a 30-metre intersection, with one tram crossing every 3.25 minutes.

Labor have vowed to complete the project, but Ms McKay has warned of traffic madness once it’s done.

WHERE TRAFFIC CHAOS IS FEARED

One of the main talking points among residents news.com.au has spoken to is how the light rail will work alongside some of the vital, and already clogged, roads that feed into the CBD.

These include Anzac Parade, which has resembled a construction zone since work on the project began — creating clearways and a lack of parking that has been blamed for businesses suffering up and down the road.

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Drivers are currently forced to navigate a maze of barriers and wait at various sets of temporary stop signs during night-time construction, which is significantly increasing journey times.

“Once it’s done, you’re still going to have issues because we’ve lost the lanes that used to ease traffic to make room for the light rail tracks — and as the population grows, it’s just going to get worse and worse,” said Sandra Hetreles, a lifelong Kingsford resident who uses the road every day.

She said there were also fears parking, which is already a problem in Kingsford, will become almost impossible once the light rail station opens and people dump their cars in the surrounding area to grab a tram.

The government says a new tunnel under Anzac Parade at Moore Park will minimise disruption to the busy road.

Another potential flash point is the intersection where the trams will cut across a notoriously jammed road, South Dowling Street.

“It’s a road that strikes fear into the hearts of us at the best of times,” said Uber driver Aamir Ansari. “I’ll always ask my customers if we can go another way because once it hits 7am forget it, you’re going to be stuck there for a long time.

“I can’t imagine how bad it’ll be once trams start crossing it as well.”

South Dowling Street is notoriously bad for traffic.

However, the government, said the impact on this frantic intersection would be “minimal” as the light rail would cross South Dowling Street at the same time as pedestrians and cyclists — meaning no new traffic signals are required

Building a tunnel to cross was not an option due to complexity of building underneath the Eastern Distributor tunnel — however, a new bridge across the Eastern Distributor for cyclists, pedestrians and trams to cross at the same time is included in the light rail project.

Further down the tracks, towards the Randwick end, Labor’s candidate for the ultra-marginal seat of Coogee, Marjorie O'Neill, told news.com.au she had consistently heard residents in her area fret over the light rail’s impact on traffic.

Labor candidate for Coogee, Marjorie O'Neill, says Randwick residents are fearing the worst. Picture: John Feder/The Australian.

“The trams cross Alison Road at 7km/h full of people at peak hour traffic,” she said. “We need to figure out if this thing is going to work, but we have no idea.”

Ms O'Neill said residents in her area were concerned they would lose bus services and instead be forced to change at Kingsford’s busy Nine Ways roundabout in order to get to the CBD.

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

Earlier this month, it was announced the first trams were expected to begin carrying passengers from Randwick to Circular Quay in December, followed by the branch line to Kingsford several months later.

Mr Constance has tried to ease motorists’ fears, saying traffic modelling is continuing to ensure the latest traffic network conditions are considered and there is minimal impact when trams are fully operational.

The government also claims the light rail route was chosen after “careful assessment to balance the needs of public transport customers with those of road users”.

“The only roadblock here is Labor who want to cancel public transport and road projects and lock-in congestion across the city, including Anzac Parade,” Mr Constance told news.com.au. “They have no plans for meeting the needs of commuters along this busy corridor.

Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance says Labor can’t be trusted on transport. Picture: AAP Image/Joel Carrett

“The Opposition Leader has flip-flopped between wanting the light rail extended to his electorate of Maroubra and claiming he will rip the tracks up. Labor can’t be trusted to deliver the public transport the community needs.”

Ms McKay hit back, saying the fears of impending traffic madness are justified.

“Gladys Berejiklian’s pet project will cause traffic chaos for commuters travelling to and from the CBD,” she said.

“The Premier and her Transport Minister have been saying that the public are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in regards the Sydney Light Rail. The only thing that seems to be at the end of the tunnel is an enormous traffic jam.”