MOD 2 - The Crescent overpass and active transport links

My previous submission was opposed to any overpass situated where it is proposed however in the event that it is a 'done deal':

In which case, if the height of the overpass at its apex can be reduced by two metres, why can't the upramp also be lowered? If it is because it needs height to cross over lanes to its right (which go left?!), why can't this overpass be pushed to the far right of The Crescent where it does not have to cross lanes but only a median strip. The benefits of this relocation would be:
lower ramp means less visibility from Bayview Crescent
ramp further away from Bayview Crescent meaning less noise
the heritage mural will be more visible
the right lane turns right and the left lanes turn left.

1. Cycle path bottle neck
This is the major cycle route from railway parade to the city via jubilee park - this seems to be completely overlooked by the design team (lazy design - do more than one site visit). You come and ride your bike from railway parade to the lightrail - there is a hill, insurmountable to most riders.
2. More traffic as a solution to congestion
Why allow more traffic to enter this area? It is already busy at the best of times - adding another freeway load of cars will only cause more traffic congestion. More freeway exits don't ease congestion within suburban areas.
3. Suburb destruction
An overpass also is makes it more difficult for cyclists and pedestrians trying to access Federal park. This is whole area should be pedestrian only, and devoid of cars - as it is water front property. Bury the roads in tunnels if you have to, but stop submitting poorly thought out designs.
4. Zero filteration
Where are the tunnel exhaust filters? If filtering is good enough for Europe , then why not Australia.

Thank you for making some changes to the proposed work. Unfortunately there are several aspects that will affect me, other residents and people transiting through the area. First of all there is the proposal to make James St one way from the City West Link. Occassionally I use this when returning from the north of the city and wanting to go to either the Leichhardt Market Place shopping centre or my preferred petrol station. The proposed change will force me and everyone else to go into Norton Street. Norton Street is already a busy street with frequent traffic jams. I also shop on Norton Street and dine in the restaurants. This change will have a large impact on residents and people transiting the area. Even the government talks negatively about "rat runners" but here you are, forcing people to be rat runners.
Access across the City West Link in both directions between James and Darley Streets should be retained. Also the right hand turn should be retained.
The proposed Crescent Street overpass will still be an unsightly imposition. on our neighbourhood and should be scrapped. Annandale has very little green space and most of the ones we have are small areas. I and others rely on access to the parks adjoining Rozelle and Blackwattle Bay for exercise and, in my case to take the grandchildren to play. Many parents take their children, while others take their dogs. I'm concerned that additional traffic onto the Crescent will make the crossing difficult and unsafe.

Dear Design Team,

Thank you for the improvements made in Mod-2. In particular:

a) Improved Urban Design
b) Single Crossing at Johnston Street
c) Shared pathways / active links over the Green-Link.
d) Right hand turn at the end of Johnston Street.
e) Providing a ramp from Rozelle Light rail to the Johnston Street crossing is helpful for those with access restrictions ( Wheelchairs, vision impaired etc )

Could you please consider the following as part of finalising the design:

a) Long term I feel that the U shaped pedestrian / cycle bridge being deleted would be a mistake. ( There are no guarantees it will be built later ). Please reinstate and ensure an appropriate Architectural firm is engaged to improve the architecture / urban design of this element.
b) Your presentation to the public / communication to the public was far better with the updated Mod-2 design package. Please ensure the renders and images are not forgotten that were presented to the public when it is approved. ( Please follow these expectations flow through to the design team and the Head Contractor involved in delivering the works. ).
c) Although outside your scope, communicating to the City of Sydney to take due consideration kids crossing the crescent to the new Skatepark.

Thanks for your hard work so far addressing community concerns.

1. The time allowed for submission since receiving notification is inadequate for sufficient review of the modification - I only learnt of the submission date 2 days ago, at second-hand, via my local member Jamie Parker.2. The works associated with the proposal are already substantially underway, and have been since March. So where is the 'due process' here? 3. I support the objections of Sydney and Inner West Councils. 4.The 'land bridge' proposal together with the flyover results in greater Visual Impact within the Crescent and environs than the original proposal. The horseshoe shaped SUP bridge is a far better urban design solution and would create a reasonably attractive portal statement on entry/exit to West Link. 6. The proposal and modification ignores the movements of active transport/pedestrian users from the Balmain peninsula east of Victoria Road. I and many others, regularly commute from Balmain to the CBD via the Glebe Foreshore route by foot. With the deletion of the existing SUP bridge over the western Anzac bridge approach we will be forced to go under Victoria Rd and through the proposed railyards park in order to cross West Link via the 'landbridge', an added distance of almost 1km over the existing route! But worse, this route will be totally lacking in natural surveillance, especially at night, making it very unattractive and too dangerous for many users. 7. Why is the existing SUP bridge at ANZAC bridge being removed - its a great piece of work and does a great job? 8. The modification does not adequately considered the combined visual and physical impacts of the flyover/land bridge upon the Crescent and environs which appear to eliminate the existing western footpath and bus stop and impact on the Mural. The elevations illustrating these impacts do not appear to be an accurate representation of the proposal or its impacts. 9. The pedestrian crossing over the Crescent at Johnstone Rd will be far wider than existing, which is already a dangerous crossing, especially in the morning peak. There is inadequate pedestrian storage on the existing corner pavements, this will get worse with projected increased traffic and wider crossing and will make T.Light phasing for pedestrians a challenge. 10. The loss of landscape vegetation as a result of this modification has already been significant, even before this submission process has started. And the landscape areas lost are not being replaced in the modification. 11. This proposal will turn a comfortable 'place' that had significant attraction for non vehicular users into yet another busy, dangerous, noisy, smelly conduit for vehicles - an alien place that will discourage active transport and pedestrians. 12. But what really annoys me as I write this is that the proposed work has already been well underway for at least a month - is this acceptable 'due process'?

I still object to this overpass as it is only considered for the use of cars. There needs to a much higher priority for Pedestrians and cyclists. This projespct as it stands will not reduce the congestion in and around Annandale. It certainly will not reduce the amount of traffic and will be dire for residents, cyclist and pedestrians. Please this could be an exciting project where the foreshore could provide a continuous path around the foreshore For Pedestrians and cyclists instead of having to cross at lights. My family would definitely use this area for recreation and it could be amazing. Please restore the connection between the Glebe foreshore and Rozelle Goods yard. I like the idea of a short tunnel under the city west link it will be less obstructive and ugly. We don’t want to be like Los Angeles. This design is overkill. Please protect the liability of our city and invest in green space.

Attached submission argues for further work on MOD design particularly re landscaping, disposition of pedestrian/ cycle ways and position of carriageway

Before COVID-19 and the office I work at closing down I used to cross at the Johnston/Crescent lights (1 stage crossing) every workday and ride along the mural and through to railway parade. There is no way to do this with this proposal, as the mural path is being cut (along with the mural being covered) so I'd have to use a three stage crossing (which are very dangerous for active transport and unnecessarily impose a wait time on people just trying to get around) which looks like it'll be 200m long, which at most currently is a 2 stage light crossing with a pedestrian crossing (which I used to be able to avoid by crossing the crescent) about 75m long. This is also the same for my family and others when going to sport at jubliee or the tramsheds, which my family did yesterday. So this is a massive downgrade for me and for anyone who enjoys active transport. I believe active transport, as part of the conditions for westconnex was to be upgraded and at worst be the same so this breaks the conditions.
I also can't see anyway to get to rozelle/balmain from railway parade to visit my mother without a massive diversion, like use the 3 stage crossing, ride south along the crescent, cross at the crescent/johnston lights and then back north a long the crescent to use the fly over shared path and I'm not sure if you'll be able to get to balmain from there.
This proposal prioritizes motorists over active transport and local residents and is a massive downgrade of current conditions. It needs to checked out.
If a fly over is needed for this project, not tunnels as in the EIS, it should go back to the EIS stage.

I appreciate government creating infrastructure particularly at this time. However, The Crescent Overpass is a project that will reflect poorly on this government for years to come. This is due to several reasons:
1) Given declining worldwide road usage, the projections for usage of the MOD 2 Crescent Overpass are unverified, unrealistic and therefore justification for this roadway is lacking.
2) Contrary to the stated goals of the WestConnex project, evidence from other major toll road projects shows that local road usage increases as motorists find less costly alternate routes.
3) Elevated roadways such as this overpass, destroy visual amenity and will continue to cause community dismay and government dispute for years to come. Unfortunately, roads such as these are easier to build than pull down.
4) The community expectation is for more public transport so the money spent on this project for the number of actual users is money poorly spent.
5) It is expected within our local community, that the beaches link will not go ahead and we will have little use for this infrastructure but suffer major ongoing disruption to our local area. We feel the political landscape has skewed against our community and sacrificed our needs and amenity for political favor. This roadway will be a constant reminder of this government’s prioritizing political favor over our community.

I object for a few reasons, which still need to be addressed.
1. I am concerned about the additional traffic into the main street of Annandale (Johnston Street). This will result in cutting the suburb in half, creating a congested busy street which has all local amenities such as shops, schools, post office and churches. As the local hub this street should be a slow zone - not a busy cut through for the inner west suburbs. Busy traffic needs to be focused away from pedestrian areas, towards the outer edges and around a suburb.
2. The extra traffic into Annandale is likely to cause all the other suburban streets to be impacted with traffic - as cars always try to find traffic detours.
3. There is not a dedicated cycle connection (actually this applies for all pedestrian access) from Railway Parade under the Rozelle Bay light rail stop to continue along The Crescent to connect into Jubilee Park. Without avoiding unnecessary traffic light crossings, added waiting times and unpleasant need to interact with a very busy road rather than a suburban street.
This is a busy cycle route and is Sydney City's suggested cycling road (as shown in the attached pdf - painted road markings on Railway Parade showing it is a shared bike road). The Railway Parade cycle road is a busy connection heading east towards the city. It is popular as it stays along the waters edge - keeping the route elevation as flat as possible.
4. It seems a very big over site to use the area at the waters edge for more cars and traffic and not as a public space - or connection to the park.

This area of Annandale is very important to the local community to access. We are active with the local AFL team, Glebe Greyhounds, based at Jubilee Park. Thousands of families access this sporting ground for summer and winter sport, training during the week and games on the weekend. Turning the neighbouring The Crescent into this major ramp and thoroughfare will bring too much traffic, congestion and pollution to this community sporting area.
Annandale is a heritage suburb and should not be modernised with a huge overhead ramp. Instead, the community should be presented with a design that is an underpass, an underpass would be less overbearing on the local area and provide the best visual and urban outcomes.
I would also like to object to the project on the following grounds:
- The evidence demonstrates this modification won’t solve congestion in Annandale.
- The community needs a direct pedestrian and cycling link between the Glebe foreshore and Rozelle Goods Yard. The community needs to access green space easily.
- As a heritage item, the NSW Government needs to preserve the people’s mural which will be significantly obscured by this overpass.
- This project prioritises the needs of motorists are prioritised over pedestrians, cyclists and residents.
Many thanks, Lis Ardagna

Please refer to attachment

Whilst some aspects of the plan are acceptable you have left pedestrians and cyclists standing at a busy intersection of Johnston St and The Crescent. It doesn’t seem logical or even feasible , in fact ridiculous to ask pedestrians and cyclists to come from Rozelle via an overpass then to somehow find their way down to a busy intersection to continue their journey to the rest of the foreshore park. The number of people and cyclists crossing there at the present already holds up traffic so if the aim is to smooth the flow of traffic then removing a pedestrian crossing seems logical.
I object to the elevated roadway planned to run right next to a pedestrian way and therefore producing noise pollution especially to the residents of the suburb
Removing the lights at the junction of the western distributor and the crescent would also improve traffic flow but taking the RH turn underground would reduce the noise and impact on our suburb.
The development is not in the interest of the people of Annandale , it has increased the traffic travelling as rat runs through the suburban streets and disrupting our way of life not to mention endangering the children who attend one of the three primary schools on Johnston street .

The most recent modification is an improvement on the initial modification. However, the original plan is better. It provides much superior pedestrian and cycle access to the foreshore for residents of Annandale, Lilyfield and Rozelle.

we are concerned about the lack of a connected greenlink as originally promised; the need for an integrated approach to ensure optimum, connected, open green space; the cumulative impact of this and the other major projects underway; and the flow-on traffic, amenity issues

Thank you for the opportunity to comment and thank you for previously taking some comments and objections into account.
I object to this and previous modification for several reasons:
We need the horse shoe bridge reinstated to allow for park to park connectivity and connection of White Bay to Rozelle Bay for cyclists and pedestrians and also be a direct link between the Glebe foreshore and the Rozelle Goods Yard. It's visual impact is nothing compared to the disastrous mess of roads at the Crescent /CIty West junction! Taking out trees that could have remained is vandalism!
The road overpass should be moved to the centre lane to provide more space for the pedestrian path and this also allows traffic to turn right from the right not the left lane. Actually a road underpass for cars would be a far better for both cars and will leave more room for the pedestrian/cycle path.
Please don't obscure any part of the heritage mural.
The bus stops need more space so as to not conflict with cyclists and pedestrians.

I am support the objections made by Inner West Council, City of Sydney Council and the Greens. I think the impact of the flyover and the land bridge upon the Crescent and the adjacent areas of the Glebe foreshore park lands isn't justified by the assumed traffic improvements. I would be prepared to support the right hand turn from the Crescent into West Link if it were via a tunnel as per the original proposal. I regularly commute from Balmain to the city via the Glebe foreshore promenade. The proposal completely ignores that route for walkers and cyclists. Indeed the removal of the existing pedestrian and cycle bridge and its replacement with the proposed land bridge will mean I have to walk almost a kilometre further when commuting. Furthermore I am very reluctant to do this because I know it would involve passing through the tunnel under Victoria Road, and through the new proposed parklands in the railway yards to the proposed land bridge. As a woman and knowing how little surveillance there would be on that route I am very worried about the safety issues. Therefore the only alternative left to me would be to cross Anzac bride directly, which under the proposal would be an even more uncomfortable and unfriendly experience than it is is now and therefore I'd be unlikely to do this. I don't think the modification has any regard for pedestrians and cyclists living in Balmain. We should be making places, parks, walk ways and cycle ways much more accessible, safe and attractive particularly given our need to encourage activity and active commuting.

Please refer attached.

Submisison: West Connex M4-M5 Modification 2 "The Crescent overpass and active transport links
David Kelly – May 2020

. . . public space will be increasingly critical for both physical and mental health.

However, the sheer volume of people exercising in the open air has also exposed the limitations of historic design of some public spaces, with too many people crowded onto narrow walkways or poorly laid out parklands.

That’s why our future precincts, parks and public spaces need to be designed to enable better social distancing, with wider footpaths, segregated cycleways and more linear parks, to meet the increased demand for these precious public spaces.

Cities have been shaped by disaster throughout history, and have responded with newer and stronger urban systems – in the way people move, socialise, work and play. The current pandemic is presenting our cities with another opportunity to rebound in a new direction, one that focuses less on roads that separate neighbourhoods and more on streets that join us together.

- Minister for Planning, Rob Stokes, in an Opinion piece published in The Guardian, 8 May 2020 ,



When no other than the current NSW Minister for Planning calls for a new direction – specifically one that “focuses less on roads that separate neighborhoods and more on streets that join us together” – it highlights the need to make substantial changes to the West Connex M4-M5 Modification 2 as it currently stands. I write with a number of concerns regarding the current proposal. I also acknowledge several positive steps taken from the original design - but not the removal of the bridge.

As a long term resident in Rozelle, business owner in the inner west, walker/cyclist/driver, and parent of children who travel using the intersection in question, I see significant shortcomings. Our family and my business will be significantly impacted.

I believe the current plan to remove the horseshoe bridge is dangerous, is a particular threat to children, and now, with the reality of social distancing has an added health element which is not acceptable. This is added to visually intrusive construction which is the absolute antithesis of the original concept which was used to mitigate the extreme disruption of the project to valuable and scare open space in Sydney’s inner west.


Removing the Horseshoe Bridge

The removal of the horseshoe bridge is a huge concern on many levels. Removing the bridge removes a park to park link which is a loss to the local community and a loss for the district wide active transport network. The horseshoe bridge, as offered in Modification 1, was a safe and separated pedestrian/ cycle link, a link which has been in the project since EIS.

The remaining crossing of the M4-M5 road corridor for pedestrians and cyclists between Rozelle and Glebe is not equitable to what we were offered in the EIS or in the initial Modification 1.

I do not accept some of the reasons given for the removal:

Visual Impact: While there was a community concern re visual impact, the solution is not to remove a vital part of the proposal and create both safety and amenity concerns – it is to return to the design and create a design that is both fit-for-purpose and visually striking. This is an opportunity to create something special which sets Sydney apart as a modern city with human-focused design.

Bridge length: The original design was always going to be long due to the site. But the new design has traded safety for distance. Again, returning to the designers to find solutions which embrace the site and provide a reason to actively cycle/walk is certainly possible and is in evidence in a variety of sites around the world.

The special design review panel recommended it be removed: It is very unclear as to the accountability and role of this panel. Why did they opt for removal of a community asset/ active transport connection rather than ask Transport for NSW, designers, builders and planners to improve the design rather than simply improving? Is not their role to improve the design vs simply put in the too hard basket?

Reality

The one remaining active transport link left in this area of the project involves crossing 6 lanes of traffic. This is obviously an incredibly unsatisfactory outcome for the citizens of Sydney, particularly those in the inner west.

Cycle numbers are not factored into the safety review of the traffic crossing point – Transport for NSW has acknowledged that no data was used for cyclists, just pedestrian counts of people coming from Annandale. This implies that this single remaining active transport link it is not future proofed to consider future cycle traffic, nor the increased number of pedestrians likely to be using the link between Rozelle and Glebe.

In particular it does not consider the safety of children and families. As a parent of two children who cycle or walk from Rozelle to high school in Glebe, the safety aspects are troubling. There are three high schools in the Glebe/Ultimo area affected – Sydney Secondary College, St Scholastica, and International Grammar School. There is also extensive foot and cycle traffic of children participating in sport across the inner west, as well as cultural and recreational activities.

The impact of COVID highlights as well simple design flaws such as the width of the access ramp from Johnston Street to the foot/ cycle bridge which is not as wide as it should be- it is constrained due to the lack of room between the over-pass bridge, and need to set-back from The Crescent mural.

Deleting the horseshoe-shaped, shared pathway over City West Link will only be an improvement if a direct, shared, link is provided between parkland on the Rozelle side and parkland of the Annandale side. The proposed modification does not provide this. Instead we have been offered a link, interrupted by a pedestrian crossing at Chapman Street with at least 6 lanes of traffic to negotiate. This is not user-friendly, nor is it “green”. Nor does it deliver a solution to the community concerned as expressed in the submissions on the proposed modification.
The original, approved, design for this section of the Westconnex project promised a direct, wide, green, shared link between Rozelle and Annandale. Effectively, it promised to re-join the communities that have been divided by the goods yards and City West Link and provide a safe way for families, students and the public to cross this divide. It would be a drawcard – not a place to avoid.
The need for green space and effective transport which is focused on people and cyclists is particularly vital for people in the inner west, who have long been deprived of the green space other Sydney citizens take for granted. The COVID-19 crisis has brought this disparity into high relief.

Stitching together a patchwork of small parks, cycleways and pedestrian paths will help close the divide between the Sydney suburbs lacking green space and those with large parklands, experts say. The inner west has the lowest open space in all of Sydney. As reported in The Sydney Morning Herald:
“The coronavirus pandemic has underscored the importance of ensuring adequate parklands in Australia's most populated city as people rush to parks and walkways to exercise. Yet it has also highlighted the lack of accessible open space in parts of Sydney such as the inner west.
Mr Stokes [NSW Minister for Planning] said the COVID-19 crisis had highlighted the need for wider footpaths, which would allow them to be shared spaces with low-speed cyclists.
"The challenge with vehicles is it creates a hostile environment for any other land use. We need to find ways to democratise that space and make it available to everyone," he said.
"If this pandemic has made us recognise the things that are truly valuable, then that is a positive. We have actually got quite a lot of open space – it's just not accessible. Reimagining that is something we can be doing right now."

- Matt O'Sullivan and Pallavi Singhal, “Rush to parks, cycleways during shutdown reveals Sydney's great divide”, Sydney Morning Herald

This reimaging needs to be brought across Sydney – most urgently and specifically to this project. It is time to engage with the best transport, environment and population designers to produce a solution that changes the landscape, engages the community, provides health and well-being and inspires the imagination – not one that looks to the past and the solitary world of auto to provide the only option.

“How the coronavirus is already reshaping the design of parks and streets in New South Wales”, Rob Stokes, The Guardian, 08 May 2020; https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/08/how-the-coronavirus-is-already-reshaping-the-design-of-parks-and-streets-in-new-south-wales

- Matt O'Sullivan and Pallavi Singhal, “Rush to parks, cycleways during shutdown reveals Sydney's great divide”, Sydney Morning Herald , May 2, 2020 — 12.00am
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/rush-to-parks-cycleways-during-shutdown-reveals-sydney-s-great-divide-20200428-p54nzl.html

While I appreciate that the new modification has attempted to ameliorate the genuine concerns of local residents who do not wish to see the character and environment of their suburbs destroyed, the fact that the latest design still has a massive vehicle overpass at it's centre is a dreadful outcome. The design shamefully prioritises transient vehicles ahead of local pedestrians and cyclists. The fact that despite the introduction of an improved greenway, pedestrians and cyclists will still be forced to use traffic lights to cross busy roads is ridiculous. Any modern urban design would ensure safe separation between pedestrians and vehicles to encourage recreational use and healthy activity. The green link from Rozelle Railyards is an excellent idea, but it should connect to both the light rail and directly to the foreshore - rather than forcing pedestrians and cyclists - and bus passengers - to share a relatively narrow stretch of pavement on he Crescent followed by a set of traffic lights to get to the foreshore. It is inevitable that there will be accidents as a result of this design. The Green Link should take priority over the vehicle overpass and be able to straddle both sides of the crescent. Traffic heading from the Crescent toward the Anzac bridge should stay on the surface or be taken underground. I object to the design as it stands.
Furthermore, I am very disappointed to see how much work has already been progressed in building components of this proposed design before it has been approved. It makes a mockery of the community engagement process, as clearly the solution has already been decided. The consultation process is an illusion masquerading as a box-ticking exercise.