Cycleway fails to square with Metro location

Work has begun on an inner-city bicycle route, even though it passes through an area earmarked for the construction of the Pyrmont Metro station.

Much of Union Square at Pyrmont will be closed for up to five years while the Metro station is being built, leaving only a six-metre corridor to be shared by pedestrians and cyclists.

Pyrmont resident Mark Metcalf, 49, said City of Sydney Council representatives were surprised to learn of the ramifications of their preferred plan for the Metro when it was brought up at a special meeting.

“They were going to be closing up this access … the busiest thoroughfare for pedestrians and cyclists in Pyrmont,” he said.

“They [Council] weren’t even aware of that, which I found quite amazing … You won’t be able to cycle there at all, and any construction will be overridden by the Metro plan.”

Mr Metcalf attributed the issue to poor communication.

“This would be all avoided if the Metro people listened to the residents of Pyrmont and put [the station] at one of the other locations.”

A Council spokesperson said that the design of the cycleway was undertaken prior to the Metro project being announced, but since then planners had held a number of meetings to coordinate the two projects.

She said that construction for the cycleway was continuing as normal in areas unaffected by the Metro plan.

“Contractors are currently working in the area between Pyrmont and Murray Streets, and in the New Year they will commence works in the area between Murray Street and Pyrmont Bridge,” she said.

“The City has not started construction of the cycleway in the short section of Union Street that is expected to be affected by the Metro works … however the Metro has committed to maintaining through-access for pedestrians and cyclists in this section while construction takes place.”

Director of City Projects, Michael Leyland, confirmed there would be a shared zone for pedestrians and cyclists to get through Union Square during the Metro’s construction.

“There won’t be room for a separation between cyclists and pedestrians, but given the number of pedestrians that walk through there, we’re comfortable with cyclists not being able to zip through, so it’s not going to be a safety issue,” he said.

Lawrence Gibbons, President of the Pyrmont-Ultimo Chamber of Commerce, questioned the need for the cycle route to run along Union Street at all.

“I would have thought it would be better for it to go along Pyrmont Bridge Road,” he said.

“You have pedestrians and diners in the square … how is that [also having cyclists travel through the square] going to work?”

The Union Street Bicycle Route project will include separate bicycle lanes along Union Street between Murray Street and Union Square.

The route is part of a network of bicycle lanes that are being constructed across the city. The City of Sydney has committed $77 million over four years towards building the network.

Lawrence Gibbons is the Publisher of City News.

by Gareth Narunsky