Balmain stuck in a traffic ‘nightmare’ from the Rozelle Interchange

It has been a week of traffic chaos for motorists going through the Inner West, with the opening of the Rozelle Interchange causing thousands of people grief.

On Sunday, November 21, the intricate underground roadways were opened to the public. The project is a part of the $4.6 billion WestConnex upgrades, meant to ease congestion and travel times for drivers from the M4 and the City West Link to the Sydney CBD. 

However, it’s had the opposite effect, with the labyrinth of tunnels and path changes resulting in heavy congestion and long traffic queues stretching across Balmain and Rozelle. 

After waiting almost 4 years for the Interchange to be completed, Inner West Council and Members of Parliament are calling on the Minns’ Government to resolve the issues immediately.    

The ‘nightmare’ of the Rozelle Interchange

Since the road madness, Greens MP and Inner West Councillor Kobi Shetty has voiced concerns from residents and urged the government to take immediate action. 

Speaking to City Hub, Shetty said the traffic congestion has become “completely untenable” with people to be unable to get to work and leaving kids unable to access safe travel routes to school. 

“It’s been a nightmare for everyone,” said Shetty.  

She notes many students have been left waiting along Victoria Road and Darling Street trying to get to Rozelle Public School. With buses stuck in traffic, some kids have been “forced to weave their way through the cars” when travelling to school. 

Motorists on the City West Link and Victoria Road trying to get on the Anzac Bridge are now caught in the “bottleneck” of traffic, due to new traffic lights and increasing congestion from the Rozelle Interchange. 

Shetty has received reports from residents saying they have been waiting from 45 minutes up to an hour stuck in the traffic.

“Considering that everyone’s already been through four years of major disruption with this, promised some sort of improvement at the end, for everyone around here to be hit with this is horrific,” she said.

Shetty says she has been trying to contact the Minister for Roads to “urgently do whatever it takes to get this situation resolved.” 

As the Member for Balmain, Shetty is petitioning for the Minister for roads to “act now [and] to address concerns with traffic safety and congestion” resulting from the Interchange.

An urgent public meeting called

Following Shetty’s petition, Inner West Council is planning to hold a public meeting for residents to voice their concerns and propose strategies to help resolve issues. 

Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne announced the meeting will be held at Balmain Town Hall, on December 7. 

“The traffic chaos caused by the completion of Westconnex and the opening of the Rozelle Interchange is exactly what we have predicted would occur and must be addressed as a matter of urgency,” said Byrne.

Noting the former Government saying the interchange would reduce traffic flow on Victoria Road by 50 per cent as being “laughable” in hindsight, Byrne is disappointed there has been a lack of “reconfiguration” to the road.

“Council is instead calling for the complete and transparent disclosure of the traffic data for Victoria Road and the City West Link and an immediate review of the lane configurations,” Mayor Byrne continued. 

The Inner West Council is now calling for the government to be transparent with traffic data and travel times along the affected roads. They are also requesting a review of the lane configurations and funding towards improvements to traffic infrastructure. 

Questions for transport, the Government

Ministers and Councillors have been requesting the Minns government quickly act upon the chaos resulting from the Interchange.  

Whilst the government warned motorists of the potential congestion before its opening, providing virtual reality videos to help guide drivers through the interchange, the amounting traffic has been a shock for many. 

Deputy Premier Prue Car quoted experts advice during the NSW Parliament sitting, saying it will take “6 months till the network settles and motorists adapt to the new conditions.”

City Hub reached out to both the Deputy Premier and Minister for Roads for comment on the situation but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

For many relying on public transport, a spokesperson from Transport NSW told City Hub that the end of the week saw improvements “in bus journey times… and were running as per timetable.”

Transport NSW and police have since been working to ensure allocated bus lanes are being complied by motorists.

“We thank motorists for their patience and understanding as travellers adjust to the changes in the road network,” said the Transport NSW spokesperson.

“As with the opening of any new major infrastructure project, it takes motorists time to fully adapt to new conditions,” they continued. 

With the Rozelle Interchange to be challenged once again next week, Transport NSW is urging drivers to “plan ahead, don’t panic and follow the signs.”