Wheels fall off bike plan

Plans to promote cycling in the Leichhardt municipality may have ground to a halt.

Despite emphasising cycling as an integral part of its 2025+ Strategic Plan, Leichhardt Council has withdrawn $400,000 of recurrent funding originally earmarked for cycling in the Council’s 10-Year Long Term Financial Plan.

The decision unveiled at an extraordinary Council meeting on May 23 will redirect funds toward road re-sheeting and rebuilding playgrounds. According to Council, $600,000 will still be spent on twenty bike projects in 2013/2014.

David Borella, President of BIKESydney, said the decision to withdraw cycling funding will discourage the community from riding.

“Council’s deletion of forward spending on cycling will impact developing off-road, ‘green corridor’ cycle routes like the Whites Creek path through Annandale that would encourage kids and families into riding,” said Mr Borella.

“It also undermines Council’s intended bike share schemes and the Inner Sydney Regional Bicycle Network which will eventually extend over the 15 inner city councils.”

Mr Borella took aim at Council for failing to prioritise cycling over other modes of transport.

“Council needs to pass a resolution to reinstate bike funding in next year’s budget and employ an Active Transport Officer. Presently, there is no Council staff member devoted to overseeing what the Mayor spuriously claims will be the highest ever annual spend on cycling.

“It’s inconceivable that Council will deliver on its new 2025+ Vision if it doesn’t do these things.”

But Leichhardt Mayor Darcy Byrne said the redeployment of funding to road re-sheeting would make cycling more accessible.

“Our roads are becoming unsafe because we’re not spending enough money maintaining them,” he told Council on June 25.

“In the past, money has been allocated but projects have not always actually been delivered.”

The Mayor’s focus will now be on building a city-wide network with the City of Sydney and neighbouring councils.

“In a congested inner city area such as ours, Council is always looking at providing alternative options to car use, particularly for trips in and around the local area,” he said.

Greens Councillor Daniel Kogoy said the budgeted $600,000 for cycling and bicycling infrastructure was designated for finished projects or those nearing completion.

“I’m the Chair of the Bicycle Advisory Committee and I can assure you that the entire $600,000 the mayor is talking about is carryovers from the 2011/12 and 2012/13 budget,” he said.

“Most of these projects, including the $127,000 for Lilyfield Road and $93,000 for Catherine St had been worked on extensively and were ready to be implemented.”

John Bignucolo, spokesperson for EcoTransit Sydney’s Cycling, said that cyclists and the community had lost out.

“Cycling has paid the price of electoral populism. This is the inevitable result of a $600,000 revenue shortfall brought on by Council’s free parking initiative. Council has effectively abandoned plans for future cycling improvements for residents,” he said.

Greens councillors Mr Kogoy and Michele McKenzie attempted to overturn the 30-minute free parking initiative at June’s Council meeting, despite supporting its introduction in March. They asserted the policy, which will cost Council a forecast $660,000 in revenue, was “fiscally irresponsible while having no benefit for our high streets”.

Mr Byrne described this claim as “bizarre”.

“Everyone knows our retailers are struggling and that local people were sick of having to put their hands in their pockets every time they stopped for bread and milk,” he said.

He said the free-parking initiative was costly but “utterly necessary”, and that the Greens’ position showed they are out of touch with the desires of residents.

“It is now clear the Greens never really supported free parking and will repeal it the first change they get.”

Additional reporting: Michael Koziol