Cycleway "unshelved"

NSW Premier Nathan Rees led a posse of Cabinet Ministers to Sutherland tonight to announce the progress made since they last ventured to the Shire in December.

Chief amongst the good tidings for hobbits: a surprise announcement of $100 000 to design the Sutherland-Cronulla cycleway, which they would start building "by the end of the year".

Cycleway supporters queried Roads Minister Michael Daley about the Transport Minister's announcement last week that the cycleway had been shelved. His response: "As of today, it's unshelved!"

The shift from Transport to Roads is good news, as it signals the government is finally looking at the cycleway route holistically, instead of as a series of joined-up sections using rail corridor.

Curiously, when the Liberals committed $200 000 to such a design before last election, the Labor Party scoffed that the work would cost $650 000. It's unclear how this $100 000 squares up against that statement.

In any case it's a very welcome development. The study is due to start soon, and will involve public consultation, so we'll keep you informed as we hear more.

Mission Impossible?

NSW Transport Minister David Campbell has announced that the Sutherland-Cronulla Cycleway promised last election will not go ahead. Cannot go ahead. No room.

"Impossible! No way!" he says.

I say, "Way!"

Why not here, for example? Or if you have a better idea, feel free to add it to the map. Or make a comment below.


View larger map – and add your own route ideas (Google account required)

So what stopped Mr Campbell finding a route like that? The problem is he is not really the "transport" minister, he's the public transport minister. He has no jurisdiction over roads. That's the Roads Minister, the RTA. Not his department.

So when he says there's no room for a cycleway, he means not in the railway corridor. He hasn't even looked outside railway land, into any of the adjacent minor roads, paths or assorted land parcels. No-one has in any detail. That would require collaboration between ministers, something the warring factions of NSW Labor are loathe to do.

Little wonder then that cycleways fall between the cracks. The RTA builds cycle lanes along new motorways, mostly to wedge the green anti-motorway lobby. (And removes them again to fit more cars, but that's another story...)

We need a study that starts from this question:
What's the best route for a cycleway?

While you're all fired up, why not tell the pollies we still want a cycleway, and the first step is a study of all the route options, not just the rail corridor:

Premier Nathan Rees	thepremier@www.nsw.gov.au	9228 5239
Transport Minister David Campbell	david@campbell.minister.nsw.gov.au	9228 3777
Roads Minister Michael Daley	office@daley.minister.nsw.gov.au	9228 5665
Miranda MP Barry Collier*	barry.collier@parliament.nsw.gov.au	9525 6378

*Most marginal Labor polly in NSW!