Rozelle slated for mass street closures, with 150 car parking spaces axed

by KYE ANSON

In another blow to local residents in the ongoing Rozelle saga, Transport for NSW has announced that 6 major roads are set to be closed in early June for electrical cabling to be installed in the Western Harbour Tunnel.

The closure of these roads, for months at a time, will also see the loss of 150 car parking spaces for local residents.

The long-term road closure will affect Evans Street in Rozelle for a 46-day period, while Lamb Street in Lilyfield will be closed for up to 86 days. A total of 80 car spaces would be lost across these two suburbs alone.

Calls are now mounting for the NSW Labor Government to take a more active role in supporting the needs of local residents.

Greens Member for Balmain Kobi Shetty said, “The Labor Government need to take responsibility for the ongoing impact these toll-road projects are having on locals.”

“I want a firm commitment from the government that they will look out for residents by guaranteeing an appropriately staged approach that will minimise impacts on our community.”

The project would also have a massive impact on school students who are beginning to prepare for HSC exams, she said. In addition, families will experience more stress due to the loud construction noise.

“I am sick of our community being put last, while the government forges ahead with new toll road projects.”

Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne has joined calls for action from Transport for NSW, urging the Transport Secretary and Coordinator General Howard Collins to speak to the residents affected by the proposal immediately.

“I’m calling on the Transport Secretary and the Coordinator General to get out of their ivory tower and actually come to Rozelle and meet with the residents whose lives will be massively disrupted by their decisions,” he said.

The closure of such major streets could lead to worse traffic conditions than those experienced during the WestConnex project, he warned.

“The closure of so many streets adjoining the Rozelle Interchange and Victoria Road will lead to the return of the very worst traffic chaos experienced after the opening of the Interchange.”

Lamb Street in Lilyfield will be closed for 86 days, while Evans Street in Rozelle, the local road most people use to get onto Victoria Road from the peninsula, will be closed for 46 days.

“The removal of more than 150 car parking spaces in such a small precinct will massively disrupt the lives of residents living there,” added the mayor.

Transport for NSW had not consulted Council nor local residents regarding the upcoming disruption to the community, which the mayor has identified as “a continuation of their arrogant top-down approach that we’ve put up with for many years.”

In addition, no alternatives have yet been offered to lost car spaces during this process.