LOCAL BIKE ACTIVISTS SAVE CYCLEWAY

Media Release 5 February 2014

Local bike activists save cycleway from Cooks River to Camperdown

Local bike activists and Greens Councillors on Marrickville Council have successfully defeated an 11th hour attempt to kill a long-waited cycleway project.  The “Carrington Road Separated Cycleway” is the missing link in Regional Route 5, which runs from the Cooks River to Marrickville Station and beyond to Camperdown. The decision by Marrickville Council last night means the final link in the cycleway will be constructed by the middle of the year.

Greens Councillor Sylvie Ellsmore said, “The Greens on Marrickville Council are strong supporters of separated cycleways. Lanes specifically for bikes, separate from other traffic, protect the safety of cyclists and have been proven to encourage more people to cycle.

Greens Councillor David Leary, who represents the Sydenham area, said “We received many submissions from commuters and young families who currently feel unsafe when using Carrington Road. They are particularly concerned about cyclists sharing the road with trucks, and have been calling on Council to build the separated cycleway.

“We also received submissions from people running or working in businesses on Carrington Rd, who will now be able to cycle safely to work,” he said. Other submissions in support of the cycleway were received from members of Bike Marrickville, Bike Leichhardt, Ashfield BUG, ArtCycle, Ride 2 Work and the Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club.

Clr Ellsmore said, “Over the last five years the Greens and local bike activists have successfully defended the Carrington separated cycleway against several rounds of threats, always led by conservative Councillors and a handful of local businesses opposed to the small loss of parking.”

“The most recent threat to came in the form of a recission motion, which was moved by Independent Councillors Macri and Hanna and former ALP Deputy Mayor Tsardoulias at the final Council meeting of 2013. The recission motion effectively placed the project on hold for two months until it could be debated again.

Clr Ellsmore said, “If Council had passed the recission it would have sent the project back to the drawing board & reduced the cycleway to a painted bike symbol on a busy road for years to come. Council would have lost $150,000 in State funding.

“Last night’s vote is a victory for the growing number of cyclists in our local area. The Carrington Road Separated Cycleway will be one of only a handful of separated cycleways in the Marrickville Local Government Area, but the Greens want to see more built in coming years. We have a responsibility to keep our residents and commuters safe,” she said.

Media contact:

Greens Councillor Sylvie Ellsmore 0403 977 213, sellsmore@marrickville.nsw.gov.au

Greens Councillor David Leary 0409 421 323, dleary@marrickville.nsw.gov.au