Residents angry over proposed bike lane modification
Residents angry over proposed bike lane modification
City East residents are angry at Council’s plans to demolish a community garden to make way for an upgraded cycle path on Riley Street.
Locals told City News Council had already satisfactorily upgraded the area in August of last year and the current plans were “unnecessary overkill”.
“A couple of months ago they ripped a lot of the area up to put in a bike path,” President of the East Sydney Neighbourhood Association, Doug Purdie, said.
“Now they are saying the work they did before was wrong and ripping everything out and starting again.
“None of it makes any sense.”
Charis and George Schwarz, who both live on Riley Street, told City News the still-new path had been embraced by cyclists and there was no need for an upgrade which would see the path extended directly through the centre of existing gardens.
“This garden is a precious space and they want to ruin it by putting the path straight through it,” Ms Schwarz said.
“It doesn’t synchronise with Clover’s green image.
“You just can’t destroy a valuable community resource like this.”
They also said individuals in the community had been inadequately notified of the development, only receiving word of it last Tuesday.
The couple have sent several letters to the Lord Mayor Clover Moore asking her to reconsider the plans and have also lodged a submission and petition signed by 90 local residents.
“It was completely ignored,” Ms Scwarz said.
“There’s a lot of skulduggery going on here.”
Development of the area is due to commence on January 24.
Council were unavailable for comment at the time of publication.
By Simon Black
