MOD 2 - The Crescent overpass and active transport links

The evidence shows this modification won’t solve congestion in Annandale. I live on The Crescent, near where it intersects with Trafalgar St. The traffic that builds up here throughout the course of each day, including weekends, is ridiculous. We can’t open our front door when there are traffic build ups due to the fumes and noise. So our door is closed for a big percentage of the day. The new road will bring even more cars along this part of The Crescent and what you are proposing will not stop the traffic build up. It will be worse. The poor kids at the childcare centre across the road are going to be breathing in fumes for a big chunk of the day. If the current set up can’t deal with a small amount of traffic, then your proposal will not be able to withstand the additional traffic that West Connex will bring. It will make our house unbearable to live in. This part of The Crescent is such a tiny, narrow road.
An underpass would allow traffic to flow through much quicker and would stop the pollution for residents of The Crescent and the childcare centre, as well as the noise pollution of cars waiting in traffic for the lights to change.
An underpass would be less overbearing on the local area and provide the best visual and urban outcomes.
We need a direct pedestrian and cycling link between the Glebe foreshore and Rozelle Yard.
I’d like to see the people’s mural saved which will be significantly obscured by this overpass.
This current project prioritises the needs of motorists over pedestrians, cyclists and residents. I would love for you to consider my needs as a member of this community and to not have traffic build up outside of my house for hours and hours a day.

The Crescent Overpass modification, in my view, should not proceed as:

it would introduce a raised road structure at the western end of Rozelle Bay creating a significant visual barrier between the Rozelle Bay foreshore, Annandale and the proposed Rozelle Railyards open spaces
the overpass would impede outlook from the Rozelle Bay light Rail stop the overpass would greatly diminish the potential value and quality of the Pedestrian and Cycle Green link
the overpass prioritises vehicular movement in an area which has great potential to be a pedestrian and cycle focussed waterside environment
ithe overpass would exacerbate the existing freeway-like conditions of the City West Link which, with the introduction of West Connex, should be reduced to a more local road with slower traffic speeds and improved crossing opportunities
the Pedestrian and Cycle Green link would not connect directly to the Rozelle Bay foreshore (east of the Crescent) as is the case in the approved project
the proposed Shared User Path bridge would make connections to the foreshore less clear, more circuitous and would require pedestrians/ cyclists to go to an increased height over vehicles than is the case in the approved project.

The Cahill Expressway, Brisbane Riverside Expressway and other elevated road structures at foreshore locations are widely seen as poor planning outcomes and not to be
repeated. The Crescent Overpass modification represents outmoded thinking and should not be supported. The approved project, whilst far from ideal, is preferable in every
respect.

I support the Cresent overpass and recommend all changes being suggested.

I would like the bike path being proposed to be built over City Westlink from the eastern end of (The Cresent) be reinstated, it has been removed in the current update). Building a bike is more safer than making them cross Chapman Street at Johnston. It is still safer than crossing the road, even though you have created a crossing it won’t hurt to have both the crossing and the bike pedestrian flyover ramp as shown in plans provided last August.

Stacks with no filtration near densely populated areas is s disgrace.
Destroying the foreshore walkway opportunity is a wasted opportunity.
Channeling traffic into the inner west is a disgrace.
We are not going to stop it being built..The very least you could do is listen to the community.

I’m strongly opposed to the Crescent Overpass project.

The proposed crescent overpass presents itself as a further lost opportunity to create a continuous and activated urban waterfront all around Blackwattle Bay, connecting the Fishmarket to via Bicentennial Park to Glebe and surrounding suburbs.

Instead, the NSW government proposes to create a further barrier between the suburbs, not only physically but now also visually. The proposal visually removes the waterfront from its surrounding suburbs and turns land of great value into urban wasteland. In an urban design proposal with more vision these suburbs should benefit from this great asset.

The proposal demonstrates a further traffic-over-transport prioritisation project of the NSW government, bulldozing its way through local suburbs to induce ever-more car traffic from outer suburbs into the city, in disregard of the needs and opinions of local residents. Turning the Inner West, one of Sydney’s family areas into nothing but a thoroughfare for commuter traffic.

A multi-level cross-over city-highway project is misplaced in the this traditionally low-rise location directly at a foreshore and should never proceed. The NSW government should have leant from the irreversible destruction and scars it caused in the Haberfield area. Noone will ever forgive or forget this.

Instead, the government should look toward some of the recent well-designed European foreshore projects, which incorporate transport-over-traffic approaches and have the community in focus, as a precedent for future planning and go back to the drawing board.

The evidence demonstrates this modification won’t solve congestion in Annandale
This overpass is only designed to address the additional traffic that will be created by WestConnex. It will not reduce the amount of traffic in Annandale but will negatively impact local residents, cyclists and pedestrians.
An underpass would be less overbearing on the local area
The plan for an overpass should be replaced by a short tunnel under the City West Link with slot trench approaches. An underpass provides the best visual and urban outcomes and should allow the retention of the green link in a location to best connect different areas of greenspace together.

There is now no direct pedestrian and cycling link between the Glebe foreshore and Rozelle Goods Yard
This proposal has abandoned the horseshoe pedestrian bridge but hasn’t reinstated the seamless park to park connection that was originally promised. This means that cyclists and pedestrians are forced to cross the Crescent via traffic lights.

The people’s mural will be obscured
The proposed overpass will obstruct Rodney Monk’s heritage mural which decorates the northern side of the light rail viaduct along The Crescent and has significant local heritage value.
Needs of motorists are prioritised over pedestrians, cyclists and residents
All these negative impacts are being driven by the exclusive focus by Transport for NSW on improved vehicle movements. The government should prioritise the needs of local residents, pedestrian and cyclist access and the retention of vegetation and greenspace over the movement of cars and traffic into WestConnex

What: The evidence demonstrates this modification won’t solve congestion in Annandale This overpass is only designed to address the additional traffic that will be created by WestConnex. It will not reduce the amount of traffic in Annandale but will negatively impact local residents, cyclists and pedestrians. An underpass would be less overbearing on the local area The plan for an overpass should be replaced by a short tunnel under the City West Link with slot trench approaches. An underpass provides the best visual and urban outcomes and should allow the retention of the green link in a location to best connect different areas of greenspace together.

Expectation: Please rethink the Annandale overpass

Although the new design is an improvement on the original overpass, the overpass is still detrimental to our area and to the support of Active Transport in an area with rapidly increasing density.

-The overpass will not improve congestion as it still still relies on The Crescent/Johnston St traffic lights and traffic will continue to back up greatly along The Crescent and will Hinder pedestrians and cyclists which will discourage the use of Active transport.

- Beyond the environmental urgency of Climate heating and the immediate/future need to foster physical distancing [Covid 19] whilst travelling, the support of Active transport is important for residents to improve physical and mental health, especially in such a dense urban area.

-This area is already one of the densest in Sydney and will increase enormously with the Fisherman’s wharf development [at least 3000 residents, not including workers or the thousands of tourists daily], the Rozelle Tigers Redevelopment [?] and when the White Bay Area is redeveloped [16000 people once mentioned Just as residents!].
Surely it’s preferable to encourage the flow of all these people towards healthy, safe And environmentally friendly active transport as a first priority?

-The overpass prioritizes cars at the expense of a choice of several wide routes [4m min ideally around the whole of Rozelle Bay] to safely cater to and encourage pedestrians and cyclists working, living and being educated in this Sydney precinct. Together with Active transport, the whole foreshore Bay Area will be also be used by Locals as a recreational facility. There is also the increasing use of electric bikes crossing the precinct with food delivery services.

-Businesses who are now much more environmentally focused for a healthy eco friendly future want staff to be able to use active transport to get to work. This was apparently the reason Google Did not want to use White Bay as there wasn’t any public or active transport links. Think of all the businesses who will be moving to Blackwattle Bay and White Bay and will need to use these footpaths. Beyond businesses there will be thousands of tourists coming to the area too.

- Due to all the universities in Our area we have a large amount of young people and students who can use Active Transport as the cheapest way to travel. Prioritizing unaffordable cars over cycling and walking is unfair on this group of our society particularly.

-Personally, My daughter cycled to school to Sydney Secondary College Blackwattle Bay over the horseshoe bridge. We as a family cycle walk to Annandale and Glebe frequently yet the current plans have removed the direct and shortest link between Rozelle/Balmain and the foreshore. Surely the design could have kept the existing horseshoe bridge for the thousands of pedestrians and cyclists who use it daily and for all the future residents and workers?
It seems ludicrous that with all the money being spent for improving commuting times for cars, that a design has been created that actually worsens the Active transport commute time.

-Alternative shortened, direct routes that avoid the use of traffic crossings, such as a North/South underpass linking Rozelle and the foreshore, should be created to improve and facilitate easy, safe Active Transport Commutes and Recreation.

For all these reasons we do not support the overpass link and would like 4m wide paths created around the foreshore and Crescent with direct unimpeded access kept to Victoria Rd.

We also need collaborative visionary planning so that the whole redevelopment of Blackwattle Bay, White Bay and Glebe island Bridge is joined up holistically as an amazing active transport and recreational route for the City of Sydney.

Regards,

M Nugent

Firstly, no explanation as to the basis for this "fly over" has been provided--no projected vehicle numbers, anticipated types of vehicles or directions of travel at various times of the day/week.
The change from a tunnel to a "flyover" has compounded the negatives to residents of this development, and that includes the visual impacts and loss of a local park.
We appreciate the modifications that have been included in this version, especially:
-the pedestrian/cycle access from Johnston St to Chapman Rd--our foreshore parkland, playground, dog beach and playing fields
- the ability to turn right from Johnston to The Crescent to access Tram Sheds, Child Care facility and to move south
-lowering of the "fly over" ramp height and non obscuring of the Heritage Mural, and improved visions of our bay
We're very disappointed though to see that the improvements to alleviate this major development's negative impacts on residents do not occur simultaneously but have a 10 year time frame!
Surely the pedestrian/cycle thoroughfares must be constructed at the same time as the vehicle ramp? retro building has the implications--from prev. experiences over decades, of never coming to fruition!
The overall impact on our way of life is detrimental, as it is designed to increse through traffic, especially along Johnston St, but will (from experience) lead to increases on other residential streets as "rat run" routes.
Johnston St is not intended as a major thoroughfare--it was the main street of a planned suburb--it has heritage value as a suburb and with numerous homes on it also with a heritage listing. It is intended, and generally functions as, a local suburban road--4 churches, 1 community centre, 1 post office, 2 local shopping centres, 3 schools, 2 nursing homes, 1 pre-school and the remainder is residential. The impacts of the increased traffic volumes are that of physical safety, air and noise pollution as well as pollutants that will wash from the roads into the waterways.
Where is the connectivity for pedestrians/cyclists to the open spaces Bicentennial Pk forehore to Rozelle Goods Yards?
There also appears o be more traffic lights.
No mention/recognition of tree removals that have occured--hundreds- plantings indicate mature trees, but will this be the So?
Fig 3 shows a very long pedestrian link--what are the safety provisions for elderly/disabled etc--seating/rails?
Pedestrian Lights to Annandale foreshore will need to include additional time for completing the crossing
In summary
no real explanation as to "need"- a short tunnel under the CWL would have produced the same outcome--one lane to join the congestion on Anzac Br other to Victoria Rd
modifications are good
pedestrian/cycle ramp etc must be all done simultaneously with traffic ramp and lane changes etc--not 10 years hence
connecting bi-centennial park foreshore to goods yards is a necessity
impacts on residents of Annandale totally negative and no "trade off" for increased traffic and resultant health and safety issues
bus stops on The Crescent must to be long enough for double length buses to use
Regards
Gretchen Gamble

The area around North Annandale, Lilyfield and Rozelle is not blessed with much green space. For recreation residents need access to green spaces in adjacent areas and access to the nearby Harbour. The planned access ways to the foreshores are difficult and dangerous for both pedestrians and cyclists. Access from North Annandale to the proposed new parklands in the former rail yards will also be difficult and dangerous. Children should be able to access both the foreshores and parks safely with an attending adult. The current proposal is is not pedestrian-friendly, cyclist-friendly, nor child-friendly nor friendly to those confined to wheelchairs or requiring use of mobility scooters.

The overpass is an eyesore. It imposes itself between the residential areas of North Annandale and Rozelle and the foreshore. A view of the harbour, bridges, boats, and the Glebe foreshore parks is uplifting for many, not just the few who have houses-with-a-view. Now we will have the noise and visual pollution of passing traffic. It is not the same. And it will also be an eyesore viewed from the foreshore and the bay.

The elevation of the overpass brings traffic to the level of the residential area. As a consequence the noise pollution will become greater and indeed inescapable. And by bringing the traffic closer to the residences the concentration of exhaust gases will be greater.
The whole concept will increase traffic into Annandale and other inner city areas. These areas are already choked.

No doubt it was perceived that this project would meet the needs of motorists but transferring the traffic jam 'up the road a bit' won't solve the underlying problem. Improve public transport and reduce the traffic flow!

Your proposal for an overpass is unsupportable.

• The increase in surface roads will bring more traffic to The Crescent and Johnston Street Annandale. This will increase emissions and pollution (including noise pollution).
• The proposed roads will cut Annandale Residents off from safe pedestrian access to the Foreshore and the ANZAC bridge cycle route into the city. The revised plans of The Crescent overpass and removal of the pedestrian and cycle “horseshoe bridge” that crosses the City West link is dangerous. It will see all pedestrians, people with children, prams and dogs, as well as cyclists, crammed into a tiny space on the corner of Johnston Street and The Crescent as they wait up to 90 seconds for the light to change to cross a busy six-lane road. It would make physically distancing impossible and be inviting road accidents.

Please consider the following:
1. The Inner-West already has very little open space compared to other Sydney districts and connectivity is critical to improving this. The horseshoe bridge shared-user path should be reinstated as a park-to-park connection. NSW is not short on imagination and surely the bridge can be redesigned, even with local ingenuity and labour, to incorporate an attractive urban design element. The bridge can be used to provide a lookout for users and visitors, providing attractive vistas of Rozelle Bay.
2. Remove the down-ramp to the green bridge so that an ‘at grade’ (bay level) wheelchair-accessible pedestrian path can be put in its place.
3. Move the road overpass to the centre lane. This provides more space for the pedestrian path. It also makes the vehicle journey more logical as vehicles will naturally get into the right lane, not the left, to turn right.
4. Provide more space for passengers to wait and alight buses without conflicting with cyclists, pedestrians, joggers, dogs and prams on this narrow shared path and better connection to light rail.
5. This overpass is only designed to address the additional traffic that will be created by WestConnex. It will not reduce traffic congestion in Annandale but will negatively impact local residents, cyclists and pedestrians.
6. An underpass would be less overbearing on the local area. The plan for an overpass should be replaced by a short tunnel under the City West Link with slot trench approaches. An underpass provides the best visual and urban outcomes and should allow the retention of the green link in a location to best connect different areas of green space together.
7. There is currently no direct pedestrian and cycling link between the Glebe foreshore and Rozelle Goods Yard; this should be added.
8. The people’s mural will be obscured. The proposed overpass will obstruct Rodney Monk’s heritage mural which decorates the northern side of the light rail viaduct along The Crescent and has significant local heritage value.

Kind regards,
Suneeta

Submission to proposed overpass on Crescent and CityWest Link
I am a Rozelle resident deeply impacted by WestConnex. In general I support WestConnex as a very important infrastructure to reduce the burden on our roads and connect the Western suburbs to the city and other parts of Sydney. I personally use it every time I drive to Blacktown Hospital where I work as a doctor.
However there are many things wrong with the planned Annandale overpass and its so-called amended design that it is hard to know where to start.
The social contract the NSW government made with us is that if we put up with massive disruption of every day of our lives for 5 years of construction, on account of 24 hour noise and dust and losing the very character of our neighbourhood to constant interruptions to our lives and livelihoods; and further, putting our very homes at risk through shallow tunnelling driven by reducing costs of construction (not the negligible reductions in GHGE erroneously claimed by the EIS), then eventually, we get a large area of high quality public open space, albeit with a higher density of unfiltered exhaust stacks than has been seen anywhere in the Western world, but that’s a separate issue.
Now the contractor has come up with a way to add to the cost of the project for the State and to extend their profits that is not only unnecessary (that is why it was not part of the original design), but also directly contravenes this central social contract the NSW government made with us – put up with all this and you will gain a significant local asset.
This overpass destroys that social contract. Any overpass dwarfs people, so it is a massive intrusion into the promised public space by its very existence, let alone the increase in noise pollution associated with its use. It is not a matter of minor amendments to height to decrease the scale of intrusion – nothing can do that except its complete removal.
The existence of an overpass also severely compromises walking and pedestrian activity in this area – in the promised park and its linkages to existing parks. These activities are the point of the public open space, and are essential services in themselves, as Covid19 has taught us.
Covid19 also means we as a State need to carefully scrutinise our portfolio of investments and seek out opportunities to direct investments to support and rebuild sectors that have suffered deeply but provide rich contributions to our economy and our society and culture. Engineering and construction is NOT one of these sectors.
I implore you: DO NOT SPEND THESE FUNDS ON THIS OVERPASS. IT IS WRONG, UNNECESSARY, AND A BREACH OF GOOD FAITH.

Kind regards
Agnes Molnar

Submission to proposed overpass on Crescent and CityWest Link

I am a Lilyfield/Rozelle resident. I am already deeply impacted from the 24hour construction of West Connex and still have the additional tunnelling to live through. I hope and pray my house won’t fall apart as I am within 50 metres of the proposed tunnel.

I am a great supporter of infrastructure when needed, I can even smile through untold road closures and stop/go situations, but to blatantly make an unwarranted grab for money is complete hubris. Even outside of a pandemic such as Covid-19 this is not acceptable on any level, socially, morally economically or politically.

Could we please start looking at the bigger picture rather than lining cronies and cohorts pockets. There is not need for an overpass into Annandale. The fact that you are even considering this proposal is a total breach of trust and social contract. What are the health issues connected to such long term construction times? What are the health and economic issues for the residents with regards to construction debris and pollution?

I am absolutely against the unconscionable money grabbing scheme.

Regards
Andrew

I am writing regarding the Annandale Overpass.

A positive reason for building underground tunnels in cities is supposedly to reduce the negative impact of traffic congestion for residents and for the natural environment on which individuals and communities rely.

In order to complete projects Westconnex have disregarded the importance of heritage, green spaces and existing structures which contributed to the well being of our community.

The Horseshoe Bridge crossing Victoria Rd provided a safe pathway for non motorists travelling to the city via the Anzac Bridge.It also connected cyclists and pedestrians travelling between Rozelle and the Glebe foreshore.
Does Westconnex have plans to re build a connecting pathway for non motorists?

Residents were told that Westconnex would create a park to park connection .
The company appears to have abandoned the plan.

Plans for the Annandale Overpass will continue to impact negatively on local residents and the natural environment.
.
More vegetation will be removed, heritage sites overshadowed and the wellbeing of local residents working from home will continue to be negatively impacted by the continuous noise and dust produced by Westconnex works.

At a time when the government is incurring debt to fund the thousands that have lost their livelihood ..
What rationale does the Premier have for using more funds on a motorway that is not essential?

Given government funding is scheduled to end within the year, wouldn’t it be wiser to use the funds on generating work and economic growth that would benefit the community?


Yours Sincerely

Daniela Demarchi

I am a Lilyfield resident (since 1998) who has been and will continue to be massively impacted by WestConnex.

The work done for WestConnex has already caused major hardship across our community - people losing their homes, constant noise and air pollution, the destruction of the pedestrian and cyclist bridge over Victoria road which severely limits peoples access to public transport (a far more sustainable way to commute) and so much more. WestConnex will also be digging shallow tunnels directly under my home which can, and as experts suggest, most likely will cause significant damage to our home as well as lead to even more air and noise pollution. All of this - though completely against the community’s wishes - was sadly to be expected. We have had to grit our teeth as our voices are ignored and our rights trodden on.

Now, once again the government is working to extend WestConnex with a new overpass in Annandale. This is utterly unconscionable. Not only will this fail to ease traffic congestion, it will render the area almost unusable for pedestrians and cyclists (something that has already been done by the removal of the Victoria road pedestrian bridge). This massive overpass would also destroy enormous amounts of local vegetation. I as an individual, and we as a community object in the most complete of terms. This enormous and costly project will benefit no one.

The government at all levels exists to serve the people and the community. The government does not exist to swat away the rights and concerns of its citizens like flies, while it only serves itself. This entire project is an embarrassing and frightening display of industrial backwardness and pigheaded refusal to respect and heed the expert opinions and warnings outlining both the ineffectuality of this project as well as the damage it WILL cause.

Now, more than ever the government needs to exercise caution over how it chooses to spend money - a scheme to prioritise traffic over people’s homes, their use and enjoyment of their community, and their health and safety simply cannot go forward.

Do not go forward with this overpass.

Submission opposing to proposed overpass on Crescent and CityWest Link, Annandale
I am a Lilyfield resident who is affected daily by WestConnex and will shortly be having shallow tunnels built under my house at Cecly St Lilyfield.
I am appalled at the breach of trust, shortsightedness and lack of integrity that surrounds the short-term, grasping and expedient decision to build this overpass.
The NSW government made a commitment to ensure a balance between the disruption and in my view, short termism of building such massive infrastructure for cars with giving us open space and promising to retain the character and valuable but scarce open space in our already crowded neighbourhood.
We now find that it has gone back on this commitment. As well as huge disruption, life-threatening pollution from unfiltered stacks not to mention having our homes at risk through shallow tunnelling – that there is to be a huge, unsightly loud ugly polluting retrograde LA-style overpass built abutting this much-vaunted “open space”.
Why at a time when other supposedly advanced cities are dismantling this style of infrastructure and looking ahead to more sustainable, forward-thinking, long term, low impact developments, are we going back to the awful mistakes of the 50s and 60s???????
We are to get our very own Cahill Expressway to impair the outlook for EVERYONE on the Western side of the harbour – don’t we matter??????? Did we not learn from the mistakes of the past????
This overpass is a huge mistake on every conceivable level and a complete betrayal of the trust of the people and the undertakings and commitments of the architects of this plan and the Government that seems intent on letting developers have their way, no matter the cost to its constituents.
Once again it puts cars and motor traffic first, people last. If built, there will be no meaningful pedestrian access or cycleways, and the so-called “open space” will be shrouded in noise and pollution.
Once again, this is a retrograde step that other advanced cities are moving away from.
Why are we running headlong towards it???
I emphatically oppose the construction of this overpass for the above reasons. It is a breach of the trust of the people of NSW, is shortsighted, damaging and a hug financial mistake.
Specifically, this entire region will be forever blighted by a polluting eyesore that will only be pulled down with the advent of a more enlightened government.
Yours sincerely,
Kaitlin Walsh

Submission to proposed overpass on Crescent and CityWest Link
I am a Rozelle resident deeply impacted by WestConnex, and an international expert on sustainable city infrastructure.
There are so many things wrong with this overpass and its so-called amended design that it is hard to know where to start.
The social contract the NSW government made with us is that if we put up with massive disruption of every day of our lives for 5 years of construction, on account of 24 hour noise and dust and losing the very character of our neighbourhood to constant interruptions to our lives and livelihoods; and further, putting our very homes at risk through shallow tunnelling driven by reducing costs of construction (not the negligible reductions in GHGE erroneously claimed by the EIS), then eventually, we get a large area of high quality public open space, albeit with a higher density of unfiltered exhaust stacks than has been seen anywhere in the Western world, but that’s a separate issue.
Now the contractor has come up with a way to add to the cost of the project for the State and to extend their profits that is not only unnecessary (that is why it was not part of the original design), but also directly contravenes this central social contract the NSW government made with us – put up with all this and you will gain a significant local asset.
This overpass destroys that social contract. Any overpass dwarfs people, so it is a massive intrusion into the promised public space by its very existence, let alone the increase in noise pollution associated with its use. It is not a matter of minor amendments to height to decrease the scale of intrusion – nothing can do that except its complete removal.
The existence of an overpass also severely compromises walking and pedestrian activity in this area – in the promised park and its linkages to existing parks. These activities are the point of the public open space, and are essential services in themselves, as Covid19 has taught us.
Covid19 also means we as a State need to carefully scrutinise our portfolio of investments and seek out opportunities to direct investments to support and rebuild sectors that have suffered deeply but provide rich contributions to our economy and our society and culture. Engineering and construction is NOT one of these sectors.
I implore you: DO NOT SPEND THESE FUNDS ON THIS OVERPASS. IT IS WRONG, UNNECESSARY, AND A BREACH OF GOOD FAITH.