Heath St cycleway modification update

At the Tuesday 28 March Council Meeting, Council reviewed the Traffic Committee Minutes and adopted the recommendations of the Committee:

That the separated cycleway in Heath St be removed and replaced with a two-way mixed traffic arrangement as outlined in the attached plan.

That existing linemarking be modified and additional linemarking installed as outlined in the attached plan.

Impacted residents will be notified shortly regarding scheduling of the works.

You can watch the meeting recording here: https://www.facebook.com/canadabay

Project Background

The East-West Regional Cycleway will establish regional bike connectivity between North Strathfield and Henley Marine Drive (The Bay Run).

This route will help us to expand our local bike network to provide a safe cycling environment for people of all ages and riding abilities. This will play a vital role in establishing a regional cycleway link between Sydney CBD and LGAs located further to the west and south. The routes also established a connection to the key land uses such as schools, parks, residential, retail and businesses.

The NSW Government is funding this $7 million project as part of the Parramatta Road Urban Amenity Improvement Program (PRUAIP). The program brings state agencies and councils together to work collaboratively on the delivery of projects to improve open space and active transport links along the Parramatta Road corridor.

This page is dedicated to updating the community as this major project is planned and constructed. Click +Follow above to receive updates.

There was a large volume of detailed feedback received during our 2020 consultation process. This was considered as part of the detailed design process and we will engage further with key stakeholders as appropriate.

This route will be constructed in stages as some sections require further engagement with the community and some sections will take longer to design than others. Staged construction will mean timing can be varied to minimise impacts on the community.

As sections of the route are already well used by cyclists, there can be some quick wins before whole route is completed.

The cycleway has been divided into six segments as per below to assist in planning and communicating its construction.

Project Background

The NSW Government is funding this $7 million project as part of the Parramatta Road Urban Amenity Improvement Program (PRUAIP). The program brings state agencies and councils together to work collaboratively on the delivery of projects to improve open space and active transport links along the Parramatta Road corridor.

The City of Canada Bay has been working closely with key stakeholders to design a regional cycling route that will suit the needs of our community as much as possible. The identified route runs from Patterson Street, Concord, through Canada Bay and Five Dock, culminating with improved access to the celebrated Bay Run. It will provide access to a number of schools and sporting facilities, and other existing and future cycle routes.

The cycleway comprises of a mixture of treatments including:

• Separated cycle lanes
• Off-road shared paths for pedestrians and cyclists
• On-road riding on quiet streets
• Traffic calming improvements intended to ensure that vehicle speeds on those quiet streets are not excessive.
• Intersection and signage upgrades to enhance safety and wayfinding

Council has been developing the route since mid-2019 with a focus on being as low impact to residents and as functional as possible. The route and the treatments along it have been identified based on analysis of factors including minimising impacts such as loss of parking, current cycling and vehicle traffic, anticipated future trends, site constraints, and more. To read about the process, download the Cycleway Concept Development Summary here.

Why have cycleways in the City of Canada Bay?

Cycling is an important travel mode as it brings many health, environment, economic and social benefits. The population in the Council area is anticipated to increase from approximately 89,000 in 2016 to 121,000 in 2036. To support this population growth, a shift away from private vehicle ownership is required, focusing more on walking, cycling and public transport usage.

In 2016 just 1% of all trips in the Council area were via bicycle; Council's Local Movement Strategy has set a goal of increasing this to 5% by 2036. To achieve this, new and upgraded cycling infrastructure is required to ensure routes are safe and get people to where they want to go.

Why is this cycleway project good for the City of Canada Bay?

This $7 million project is the biggest cycling project in the Council area since the Bay Run. It provides the opportunity to deliver substantially safer cycling conditions for all types of riders, existing and new.

A lack of cycling facilities and high traffic volumes on major roads are currently a significant barrier to cycling. Whilst confident cyclists currently ride through the general project area in spite of this, these movements don't reflect routes and infrastructure needs required to suit the significantly larger portion of cyclists who are less confident.

This project will connect east-west cycling movements across the Council area, as well as provide local connections to schools, parks, recreation facilities, commercial areas, etc. By connecting along Lyons Road West, this project will also capture cycling movements to/from the north-west of the Council area such as Rhodes.

As part of this project there will be significant improvements to pedestrian infrastructure such as new and upgraded facilities to assist with crossing roads, new and wider paths, etc.

In July/August 2020 we asked for the community’s feedback on detailed concept plans for the cycleway. This consultation was advertised through a letterbox drop to properties along the route, posters along the route, social media posts and email databases. In place of in person drop in sessions, two virtual forums were held.

Feedback found that 79% of respondents support the route, with many providing several suggestions. Additional details on the community consultation process is included in Community Consultation Report which can be downloaded here.

This report also includes data on survey responses, a summary of key themes identified in feedback received and response to those themes. Some of the feedback received relates to detailed design matters. As such this feedback is being further considered as part of the detailed design process.