Bridge Road cycleway trips declining, residents at wits’ end over safety

By ERIN MODARO

Glebe residents are reaching the end of their patience with a dangerous cycleway running along Bridge Road. Data collected by Transport for NSW shows that usage of the Glebe cycleway has dropped significantly in the past year, with trends continuing downwards.

From January 25 2022 to January 24 2023, Transport for NSW recorded an average count of 292 cyclist trips per day on the cycleway, which they define as a “key strategic bike riding route linking the Inner West to the City”. This marks a downturn of 35.22% in trips recorded since the cycleway was installed in July of 2020.

Local resident Di Anstey has reported safety issues on the cycleway since it was first installed as a temporary bike route during the COVID 19 lockdowns.

“For residents on Bridge Road, it has become an absolute nightmare,” Anstey said.

Anstey questioned if the diminishing usage of the cycleways is due to a lack of safety on the road, turning potential commuters away.

Along the route cyclists have to take, Anstey counted “11 cross streets and 17 Private driveways or with limited visibility” in their path.

“We’ve seen near misses every single day” she said.

Another concerned Glebe resident told City Hub that she is terrified to drive on Bridge Road out of fear for the safety of cyclists.

““I just… I panic when I drive that road,” she said.

History of concerns

The cycleway was first flagged for safety issues in 2020 after residents clashed with Sydney’s Mayor Clover Moore over a lack of community consultation, and a multitude of safety concerns. Residents reported to council and the state government that the cycleway was riddled with unsafe merges, pinch points and blind spots which made the stretch of road unsafe for cyclists and drivers alike.

That same year a safety audit carried out by road accident experts Traffic Engineering Centre found there were 26 safety concerns along the route.

Driveway access for many homes along Bridge Road was also impacted, and residents faced difficulties integrating the temporary cycleway into the suburb- so they called for it to be removed. A public petition to remove the cycleway came soon after, which Anstey says was signed by over 600 Glebe locals.

However, the state government decided to make the Bridge Road Cycleway permanent in March of 2022. Minister for Cities, Infrastructure and Active Transport Rob Stokes said in a letter to Balmain MP Jamie Parker that pop-up cycleways across Sydney have “high numbers of ridership”, and defended the government’s decision to make the cycleway on Bridge Road permanent.

“Based on the feedback received from the community and benefits of the Bridge Road Cycleway, including improved safety, it’s growing popularity and provision of a sustainable travel option, a decision has been made to make the cycleway permanent,” Stokes wrote.

City of Sydney councillors clashed over a motion to carry out more safety audits on the cycleway in March 2022, with Cr Moore expressing continued support for the cycleways.

Soon after, legal advice handed down by barrister Mark Fozzard suggested that the decision to make the cycleway permanent breached a ministerial order relaying that the cycleways “must not remain in place for more than two months after the prescribed period”, which was set for March 30 2022.

The government refuted this saying that the public health orders had been replaced by a Review of Environmental Factors (REFs), which allowed the cycleways to remain legally. Fozzard said after a review of the REFs, he still did not consider the cycleways to be legal.

Currently, the cycleway is still in operation along Bridge Road, with plans to upgrade certain sections and make it permanent remaining.