Two senior ministers were told that plans to slash promised upgrades to road, cycling and pedestrian infrastructure at a key Sydney intersection would have “minimal impact” on transport in the inner city, despite the now-abandoned proposal erasing 85 per cent of planned improvements.
Upgrades to Sydney Park Junction – at the intersection of St Peters, Erskineville and Alexandria – were conditions of the WestConnex motorway’s approval. But the project, due for completion in mid-2024, stalled after funding shortfalls prompted a planning rethink.
A slimmed down proposal, quietly published by Transport for NSW on August 30, scrapped a new pedestrian crossing on Sydney Park Road and a cycleway connection between Sydney Park and Mitchell roads, fixing a missing link in the city cycleway network and replacing a dangerous, narrow shared footpath.
Transport Minister Jo Haylen and Roads Minister John Graham were advised that a proposal to slash road, cycling and pedestrian upgrades for Sydney Park Junction would have a “minimal impact” on active transport links in the area.Credit: Aresna Villanueva
Transport Minister Jo Haylen canned the watered-down proposal on September 24, finding it left “a lot to be desired” for inner-city residents and road users.
Documents obtained by the Herald show Haylen and Roads Minister John Graham were briefed that scaling back plans would have negligible or “improved” effects on active transport links, largely by retaining existing walking and cycling lanes initially set aside for a makeover.
“There is minimal reduction to the active transport scope for the Sydney Park Junction project as a result of the revised scope of works, as connectivity between the existing and proposed cycleways are maintained,” an excerpt from one Transport for NSW briefing read.
University of NSW urban development research fellow and Erskineville resident Christopher Standen disagreed with Transport’s assessment of the junction’s current active transport links.
“I’ve seen teenagers where that missing pedestrian crossing is, running across the road with trucks and cars bearing down at 50km/h,” Standen said. “The current arrangement is not acceptable from a safety and access point of view.”
Another document shared with Haylen and Graham on September 19 – a week before Haylen’s decision – also found the revised proposal would have “minimal impact” on active transport links.
Committee for Sydney mobility policy manager Harri Bancroft questioned Transport’s assessment of the existing infrastructure at Sydney Park Junction.
“The initial plans that were published were so important,” Bancroft said.
“Active transport is so critical for a city, and Sydney has pretty low rates of people walking and cycling to get around.”
Work to add concrete median separating bike riders from vehicles and pedestrians will begin this year.
Haylen’s office confirmed the upgrades would take place as the initial proposal publicly exhibited in 2021, including a cycleway to link Sydney Park and Mitchell roads and a new bus stop and pedestrian crossing to access Sydney Park.
Construction to make the pop-up cycleway on Sydney Park Road permanent – the one major project not discarded under the watered-down proposal – will begin this year, and is expected to be completed in early 2025.
Further work will follow once Transport resolves planning issues caused by scope shift.
Transport for NSW deputy secretary Trudi Mares said her department looked forward to “progressing the delivery” of the junction, and revised plans would be made public once fully drafted.
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.