Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore and her close political ally Alex Greenwich have found themselves on opposing sides over plans to keep a controversial pop-up cycleway in the eastern suburbs for another three years.
A group of Paddington neighbours and sporting bodies are demanding that the City of Sydney council ditch a proposal to retain the separated cycleway along Moore Park Road until 2026.
The cycleway that has caused a rift between Clover Moore and Alex Greenwich.Credit: Dean Sewell
The two-way bike path next to Allianz Stadium was installed in 2020 under emergency COVID-19 powers, and led to the removal of 118 parking spaces.
Greenwich, the independent MP for Sydney, has weighed into the dispute by urging Moore to remove the cycleway. He told the lord mayor in a letter that he shared residents’ concerns that it was only designed to be in place for three years, and keeping it longer was unworkable.
“Residents tell me that the pop-up cycleway has reduced amenity, safety and access for residents,” he wrote in the letter to Moore.
“Could you please remove the pop-up cycleway and reinstate bike provisions on Moore Park and let me know what action you will take?”
Residents along Moore Park Road want the cycleway removed.Credit: Dean Sewell
However, Moore said she supported the council’s proposal to keep the cycleway for another three years or until Transport for NSW completed a permanent bike path along Oxford Street between Taylor Square and Centennial Park.
She said removing the pop-up bike path before the new Oxford Street east cycleway was built would create a significant safety gap in the bike network.
She cited figures showing 2.3 crashes per year on average involving people riding on Moore Park Road in the 10 years to 2019, while none were reported to police between when the bike path was installed in 2020 and June last year.
The City of Sydney has also come under fire for a pop-up cycleway along Bridge Road in Glebe, which was one of six installed by the council and Transport for NSW under COVID-19 public health orders in 2020.
Sydney MP Alex Greenwich and Lord Mayor Clover Moore are close political allies.Credit: Janie Barrett
Moore Park Road homeowner Brenton Moore said residents expected a firm commitment from council that the pop-up cycleway be removed in the “very near future”.
“It was ill-conceived and ill thought out. We are at wits’ end,” he said. “There is a complete lack of empathy towards the community.”
He said residents would consider legal action if the council voted later this month to keep it in place for another three years, citing a legal opinion that the pop-up cycleways were unlawful.
“There are over 100 residents along Moore Park Road who after years of being politely patient are now moving to seriously consider taking legal action,” he said.
Former Wentworth MP and Paddington local Dave Sharma said residents were annoyed that a cycleway that was meant to be temporary was “increasingly looking permanent”, and that its removal depended on the completion of the multimillion-dollar Oxford Street east bike path.
“The Moore Park Road residents shouldn’t be held hostage to the [planned construction of the] Oxford Street cycleway. It is three or four years away or may never happen.”
Venues NSW and Rugby Australia, which have operations at Moore Park, also reiterated calls for the council to remove the cycleway, arguing it presented accessibility and safety concerns. “The cycleway ... is extremely dangerous for cyclists, pedestrians and road users,” Rugby Australia said in a letter to council, adding that it was “aware of numerous near misses”.
However, Bicycle NSW chief executive Peter Mclean said the Moore Park Road cycleway was a crucial link for the city’s bike network, especially given the separated bike path along Oxford Street had yet to be constructed.
“It is incredibly important that they provide this infrastructure to enable and inspire people to get involved in active transport. Our roads are here to share,” he said.
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