Sydney mayor demands answers from Transurban on traffic chaos at Rozelle Interchange

by ABHA HAVAL

Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne has demanded that Transurban end their silence on the traffic disaster at the Rozelle Interchange and start contributing to solutions.

Recently, people travelling through the $3.9 billion Rozelle Interchange, a crucial entry and exit link between the Inner West suburbs and CBD have experienced significant traffic congestion, leaving thousands in a traffic “nightmare”.

The WestConnex Tunnels were acquired by Sydney Transport Partners, a conglomerate half-owned by toll road group Transurban, for more than $20 billion. Yet Transurban has remained silent during the traffic chaos that has followed the opening of the Interchange.

Mayor Byrne said, “It’s time for Transurban to stop hiding in the shadows and front up to the people of the Inner West about why this fiasco has happened.  They must transparently release their traffic data as a first-step act of good faith.”

“It’s not good enough for Transurban to make billions of dollars from the project and then run and hide from their responsibilities.”

NSW Transport planners have narrowed down traffic entering from free roads to create two exit points out of the WestConnex Tunnels going onto the Anzac Bridge. Cars entering from several roads above ground are currently forced to merge with the remaining two lanes on the four-lane bridge.

This has resulted in a huge bottleneck during peak hours causing thousands of cars to enter the bridge simultaneously.

Mayor Byrne said, “For too long this project has been shrouded in secrecy and our calls for transparency have been ignored. The result is the traffic tsunami that our local residents are enduring every morning.”

“I’m calling on Transurban to front up and become a part of the solution to this real and immediate problem instead of just collecting the tolls on their tunnels to a traffic jam.”

During a meeting on Thursday December 7, convened by Mayor Byrne, local residents came together to demand immediate action.

Mayor Byrne emphasised, “After years of being ignored by Transurban and Transport for NSW, we won’t be sidelined any longer.”

Immediate Actions 

The local communities agreed on the following:

· Immediate, real-time disclosure of the traffic data and travel times for Victoria Road, the City West Link, and the Anzac Bridge.

· Funding for public domain improvements and traffic infrastructure on Victoria Road that was left out of the Budget by the previous government to be made available.

· A review of the lane configurations on Victoria Road and the City West Link.

· Improve signal phasing to relieve traffic congestion on the Balmain peninsula nad surrounding suburbs.

· Changes to signage and lane marking to make it easier for drivers to use the interchange.

· Improved messaging and communication for commuters accessing the Interchange.

· Review of merge distances to ensure they are optimised for maintaining traffic flow.