Backlash on Bourke Street

by Kieran Adair and Flint Duxfield

Sydney’s cycle wars are about to intensify with businesses around Taylor Square set to join in a class action against the City of Sydney over its cycleways project.

Threats of a class action by businesses at the southern end of Bourke Street were raised last month after Alan Jones heavily criticised the Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, on his 2GB radio show. Now Darlinghurst businesses are also looking to take part in the class action due to concerns over the impact of cycleways on their businesses.

“The whole of Bourke street is down 50 per cent in business,” said Vaia Tappas, owner of Vaia Beauty, Taylor Square.

“We have all lost patronage due to limited parking and access.”

Ms Tappas questions the value of the cycle ways construction and plans to take part in the class action expected to be launched later this year.

“As far as I’m concerned its just been a big waste of money… they need to evacuate the streets and take them back to the way they were.”

“I’m not prepared to let Clover Moore waltz in and destroy our businesses.”

Cyclists have crticised the call for a class action, saying it would be a backward step for Sydney.

”Sydney has to do something to make it a liveable city and cycle lanes are a central part of that,” said Bike Sydney spokesman, Andrew Dodds.

”Cyclists have told us time and time again that they feel unsafe on the roads and not having cycleways are a major reason for that.”

But dissatisfaction with the cycle lanes has seen the Lord Mayor lose support from some of her closest allies. After running on the Clover Moore Independents ticket in the 2008 Council elections, Darlinghurst Business Partnership Vice-President, Andrew Duckmanton, is unimpressed with the ‘Sustainable Sydney 2030’ vision.

“I don’t like council bashing,” Mr. Duckmanton told the City Hub, “but this sort of change is no where near what we were told two years ago.”

“The idea is solid but there hasn’t been enough talking, there hasn’t been enough consultation, and there hasn’t been enough promotion of the area while the developments going on.”

He stressed that the construction has also affected areas surrounding Bourke Street, and expressed frustration at the Council’s lack of communication with store owners.

“Any council that isn’t aware of the kind of impact you’re having on work processes isn’t in contact with the community.”

A spokeswoman for the Lord Mayor said the Council undertook large scale community consultation before commencing the cycle ways construction, and stressed the economic benefits of the cycle network.

“Building an inner city cycle network will generate half a billion dollars in economic benefits – that’s four dollars for every dollar spent,” she said in a written statement.

Disclosure: Lawrence Gibbons, publisher of the City Hub, is the President of the Darlinghurst Business Partnership. He was not involved in writing this article.