Sydney plans for traffic-free city

Plans to revitalise the city centre are gaining momentum after the lady responsible for easing traffic congestion in the Big Apple spoke of Sydney’s potential to do the same.

Last Thursday evening, New York’s Commissioner of Transportation, Janette Sadik-Khan, headed a lively panel discussion with key staff about transforming city streets into public spaces.

The City of Sydney has signed an agreement with the NSW Government to revitalise the city centre, improve traffic flows and secure Sydney’s spot on the global scale as green and connected.

Ms Sadik-Khan helped transform NYC into a pedestrian and cycle friendly place with the creation of public spaces, such as the transformation of Times Square into a plaza.

She said it is vital to see streets as valuable places, with enormous potential.

“The City is a canvas waiting for a creative hand.”

Lord Mayor and MP Clover Moore said a successful public domain is the basis for a successful city.

“We want to create inviting and useable streets, reduce fossil fuel consumption, while providing spaces and places where people want to walk, want to gather, want to linger, and they want to enjoy.”

She said the City is ambitious to close George Street off to traffic to create a grand boulevard and provide extensive public transport and cycleways around the city.

“Our agreement with the state government commits us to working together to improve amenities for pedestrians and to reduce congestion, [and] to reinvigorate the commercial retail height of our city.”

Minister for Roads and Western Sydney, David Borger MP, said the state government and council needs to work closely together to make informed decisions.

“We need to look at the evidence and make sure we make the decision based on proper judgment analysis,” he said.

Executive Manager for Transforming Sydney, Gail Connolly, said altering Sydney’s landscape requires attitude changes among users of the city.

“It [will] require a massive culture change amongst the users of the city, people who use cars, [and] the public transport system,” she said.

The state government is undertaking studies on the alignment for a light rail extension in the central business district, but hasn’t made any formal commitment with council yet.

According to the City of Sydney, over 600,000 people are in the CBD each day, with approximately 85 per cent arriving by public transport.

by Sophie Cousins