The Rozelle Interchange (RIC) project has provided a pedestrian and cycling underpass of Victoria Rd and a link to the Anzac Bridge cycleway from the new Rozelle Railyards Parklands. Meanwhile the nearby disused White Bay Power Station has been restored and repurposed as an Arts and Cultural centre, and the White Bay Metro Station is currently being constructed in the same precinct, on Sydney Ports land. High rise apartment blocks are also planned as part of the Bays West Masterplan.
It was obvious looking at the plans for the RIC that links to the WBPS and Metro Station and further to East Balmain would be feasible and needed from the new underpass, but these links were ”out of scope” so weren’t provided by Westconnex, although they were not precluded. Bike Leichhardt had raised these possibilities with RIC and Transport for NSW, and Keith Stallard from Rozelle had also been lobbying for Active Transport links and Green Corridors to and from the Power Station. He received a grant for some green corridor work east of Buchanan St and was instigator of the Rozelle Parklands Active Transport Hub Alliance.
Keith, with support from IWBC, wrote to Placemaking NSW, the body responsible for the Power Station and surrounding public domain, about the need for a path connecting the Power Station to the Parklands, with support from Bike Leichhardt and IWBC. We were pleasantly surprised to receive an invitation to meet with their management. We were even more happy to learn that they had been working on the same concept plus an upgrade of the adjacent Victoria Rd path, which we had been calling for for years. Westconnex was supposed to deliver an improved path but did little more than some painted lines around the huge sign poles on the path.
Placemaking NSW have seen the obvious potential for new links. They also are responsible for managing the WBPS and events there. After the recent Biennale showed up some active Transport deficiencies, namely dangerous shared paths and inadequate crossings on Victoria Rd and Robert St, they applied and received funding for an improvement scheme. The project has a budget of $17 m and they are busy coming up with designs for three improvements. They said they want to have work finished by end of 2025. More Active Transport links are likely after the Metro is finished in about 2030 but they didnt to wait that long.
The projects they are working on are:
- A shared path from the Power Station forecourt on Robert St to the Victoria Rd underpass, linking to the Anzac Bridge cycleway and the Rozelle Parklands paths. This path will be about 200m long, straight and 5 m wide and similar to the path in the Parklands, with a painted line separating riders and walkers.
- A widened shared path on Victoria Rd east of Robert St, bypassing around (we hope) the large sign poles that restrict the current path. Cantilevering the path off the cliff face behind the Power Station may be needed. We stressed the need to provide a buffer to the heavy traffic on Victoria Rd.
- A three way signalled intersection at Mullens St to provide safer crossing for pedestrians, and an upgraded shared patg from Mullens St to Victoria Rd. We discussed the possibility of a bypass round the back of the bus shelter half way up the hill, the lack of which has been a problem for cyclists and bus patrons. The bypass would be on Power Station land so shouldn’t be a problem.
IWBC wish them well and wish other Authorities were as willing to improve Active Transport and to consult early with interested community groups.