Development plans raise Glebe Island traffic concerns

With plans rubber stamped for a new convention centre, Superyacht Marina and an overseas passenger terminal in the Rozelle Bay precinct, concerns have been raised not only about over-development but in preserving the Glebe Island Bridge.

Community activists say the Glebe Island Bridge is part of local infrastructure and could be put to use for cyclists and pedestrians if it were to be redeveloped at a cost of around $7 million.

Councillor Rochelle Porteous said the bridge is a critical part of infrastructure and its redevelopment is a “no-brainer”. She said the greater concern is the raft of developments about to take place in the precinct.

“The real issue is development in Rozelle Bay. The new marina and the draft of the vessels is becoming bigger and bigger, and therefore the Glebe Island Bridge would need to be removed due to traffic in and out. It is poor planning to demolish a bridge like that,” she said.

“We also need a ferry stop with the cruise ship terminal, as many people need to access Glebe Island and the only transport is via taxis and cars which will also impact on local residential traffic [and] may funnel out to Robert St.”

President of the Glebe Society, John Gray supported Ms Porteous’ sentiments, taking aim at the State Government for a diluted public consultation process.

“This matter of proceeding without proper public consultation is by itself disgraceful. It’s totally in opposition to what the O’Farrell Government said when they came into power …  that’s that there would be proper consultation,” he said.

Mr Gray said the government had failed to take into account the findings of the Bays Precinct Taskforce Report.

“This government commissioned a Bays Precinct Taskforce Report which was charged with the whole bay and how it should be developed. The assumption was that developments wouldn’t go ahead until that was properly considered,” he said.

“That report was in July this year and there’s been a flurry of activity ever since. We’ve said ‘you just don’t do this until you’ve got an overall sense of what’s happening’. The place will be ruined before any proper consideration has been given to it.”

With plans for Glebe Island to host a temporary convention centre while Darling Harbour is upgraded, pressure on parking in the area is expected to reach new heights after the Glebe Island Expo Centre and Superyacht Marina are constructed and opened.

“I don’t have a problem with the Glebe Island Expo going there,” Chairperson of the Coalition of Glebe Groups, Jan Wilson said. “I have a problem with the fact they haven’t addressed the traffic management of it.

“If you read the traffic report that’s been done by the State Government, they are really only addressing traffic around the major routes.”

President of Pyrmont Community Group Jean Stuart said preservation of the Glebe Island Bridge would help ease traffic and provide an additional mode of transport for what is already a densely populated area.

“We have made a submission to the government to preserve the Glebe Island Bridge because it will make an ideal low-level connection from the CBD to the Inner West. It makes more sense to preserve an existing connection,” she said.

“With the proposed developments like the marina and convention centre it will cost much less to renovate it than create a new bridge.”

A public meeting is being organised to inform the community of the potential impact of the Glebe Island developments.

“These developments will impact on neighbouring development in White Bay and Harold Park,” Ms Porteous said. “We need a public meeting to discuss the public transport and its effects on the community.

“There are only 1,000 parking spaces available for the cruise terminal and once those car spaces are used, people will park in neighbouring areas which will affect local residents.”

Under the current proposal access to the convention centre would include shuttle buses, private ferries and limited car access, leaving walkers and cyclists required to take a shuttle bus to access the location.

“The access point for the shuttle buses would be in Robert St; this would again create increased traffic within that area affecting local residents and surrounding suburbs in an already congested area,” Ms Porteous said.