Month: March 2024

With growing dissatisfaction at the lack of action on new cycleways IWBC members have started a Petition to the Mayor on getting on with design and construction.

https://www.change.org/p/safe-cycling-in-the-inner-west

The petition was delivered to Council in May and Councillor Dylan Griffiths (Greens) proposed a Notion of Motion supporting the action items in the petition. A fire alarm emptied the Council meeting in May before it could be considered, and it was rescheduled for the Extra meeting on June 4, at the Council chambers in Ashfield.

Result: Council passed the motion unanimously. Thanks to Clr Griffiths fir proposing the motion and to Clr Stephens (Labor) for his support.

There was an IWBC bike ride to the May Council meeting and several riders spoke in support of the motion, before the fire alarm!

Another ride was planned for June 4, to keep up the pressure on Councillors, but unfortunately no speakers allowed this time- we had our chance first time around apparently. Ride met at Leichhardt Town Hall at 530 pm. See past event on meetup.com/bike-leichhardt.

Council’s Response was given in item 15 in the 13 August Council Meeting. contains useful information on current projects.

Here are the 3 minute talks to Inner WestCouncil in support of IWBC Petition, May 2024:

IWBC Petition: Safe Cycling in the Inner West. By Neil Tonkin, IWBC.

“As we are all aware Inner West Bicycle Coalition has long been advocating for Council to change our street environments to allow our community to safely get about by bicycle and reduce motor traffic congestion.The community could benefit from separated cycleways, cycle orientated road treatments and lower speed environments. Pedestrians and public transport users could also benefit. The health, environmental, public amenity and social equity benefits are well documented.

Our member groups over the years have been patiently working with our local councils and the merged Inner West Council urging these improvements.

Although Inner West Council promotes active transport over private car use we have seen minimal on-ground improvement of cycling conditions. In fact, I have stated on at least two occasions at this lectern that recent Council progress on building new cycle facilities has been glacial.

Our member groups and followers are in touch with people who cycle and the message we constantly receive is: What is Council doing about making cycling safer and better? Climate change is upon us, we are surrounded by road congestion, the road toll is on the increase and society is becoming increasingly unhealthy due to lack of daily physical exercise. It is no surprise that in just over eight weeks Bike Marrickville’s petition had gathered over 1,000 signatures.

Council knows Transport NSW offers capital funding for design and building of bicycle infrastructure under it’s Get Active program. Only recently the Federal Government has also made similar funding available under its Active Transport Fund.We have met with council officers at a senior level and have been assured that Council has the capability to initiate and manage cycle infrastructure projects, yet no new ones have been started in this term of Council.Why is this so?Extra state funding was also made available during Covid to encourage physical activity by building pop-up cycleways, but this council failed to avail itself of this opportunity, unlike the progressive City of Sydney.

Is it no wonder that our members are rightly asking:What is Council doing about making cycling safer and better? We urge Council to seriously consider the challenge that this petition presents, pass the motion and get moving on starting new cycleway projects.”

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By Fiona Campbell, Bike Marrickville and City of Sydney Cycleway Manager-

“It was 24 years ago when I first spoke at a Marrickville Council meeting – to talk about the community benefits of more people riding and to urge council to keep, not axe, its tiny bike budget, and do more for cycling.
 
I thought about reading you my speech from 2000, but these days, you all know about the benefits of more people riding, and you know that a very healthy majority of the population agree. And, in recent years, the Inner West Council has done some really fantastic work – the GreenWay is becoming a reality, the Carrington Road cycleway upgrade is so great, Regional Route 7 – the cycleway along the rail line between almost Summer Hill and Newtown – is almost all very good, and more.
 
Inner West has so much potential. Did you know that in the 2011 census when the City of Sydney only just started building cycleways, it was Marrickville and Leichhardt leading the way, with higher proportions of work trips by bike than the City of Sydney? (MV 4.39%, L 3.81% & CoS 3.64%). Inner West could re-take that lead with the safe connected bike network that its community wants.
 
We know each project is hard. There are many hurdles. There are always some people who object, and that takes some fortitude, but the community as a whole is behind you. But you CAN do this, and the community, almost all of them, will thank you for it. Everyone will benefit from better health, safer streets, safer climate, and even – for those who still drive, it will be easier to park and drive in the long run, overall. You can do this.”

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