Motorists will be forced to slow down in most of the CBD’s laneways, and be shut out of others completely, in changes recommended by the City of Sydney.
As part of its Laneways Revitalisation Strategy, the City has asked the NSW Government to cut the speed limit in 57 laneways across the city centre to 10 km/h, creating shared zones to attract cyclists and pedestrians.
The program aims to ‘activate’ forgotten and unused spaces within the city, opening them to public artworks, small bars and cafes.
“We’re trying to get people to stay in the city after hours, to have a meal or a drink, not to just come in for work”, says Gail Connolly, the City’s Executive Manager for Transforming Sydney.
Speed limits were previously cut in 10 city laneways, but extended to 57 after positive reviews. “It’s an effort to improve the amenity of laneways,” says Connolly. “The changes are part of a broader package, involving parking, new lighting, resurfacing, drainage”.
The City is working on a lane-by-lane basis. While some laneways will become shared zones, others may be closed to traffic completely. Abercrombie Lane, off George St, is too narrow for vehicles, and so could be easily shut. Others, like Angel Place, are subject to timed closure, permitting traffic for servicing and loading zones during the early morning and late evening, and tables and chairs for patrons during the day. A permanent art exhibit, Forgotten Songs, recently opened in Angel Place as part of the Strategy.
The NRMA has expressed concern about traffic flows, but Connolly maintains there will be “not a lot of effect on traffic.”
“Our modeling shows little effect on traffic flows. We’re rolling it out gradually across laneways, and will be monitoring any traffic impact.”
The strategy is designed to complement the NSW Government’s planned light rail network, to be outlined in the Sydney Strategic Light Rail Plan, scheduled for release mid-2012.
The City is hoping that the network will begin on George St, and have set aside $180m to support it. Connolly says their message to the State Government is simple: “You put the Light Rail up, we’ll do the rest.”
Should the Light Rail commence building on George St, priority will shift to activating the 17 laneways that connect to the street.
With laneways, smalls bars, cafes and trams, is Sydney seeking to copy its trendy Victorian sister-city, Melbourne?
Not quite, says Connolly. “We’re very different to Melbourne, which has over 200 laneways, arranged in a grid pattern. Our laneways are narrower, they end in dead ends, and they have a servicing and loading function. They have a grungier tinge. We want to borrow the best bits from Melbourne, but with an edgier vibe, and with more artwork and cultural events.”
By Michael Safi
