Council wants feedback on new cycleways planned for Thirroul and Towradgi

Cycling at Sandon Point, Bulli

A RANGE of road modifications at Thirroul and Towradgi, planned by Wollongong City Council, is aimed at improving and encouraging cycling.

The Council is seeking community feedback on the two northern suburbs pilot projects, along with two other precincts at Wollongong and Port Kembla.

The details of the changes, including maps of the four areas, are available on Council’s website through Council’s Join the Conversation pages and letters have been posted to residents in the precincts seeking feedback on the pilot projects.

The precincts are:

Thirroul – Station, McCauley and Harbord streets with bicycling on-road marking, speed cushions and signs linking the train station to the beach.

Towradgi – Weber Cres, Carters Lane and Murranar Road with bicycling on-road marking, speed cushions and signs linking the train station to the beach.

Port Kembla – Darcy and Military roads with the footpath being upgraded to a shared pathway for Darcy Road, sections of Military Road being converted to cycleway, and the Hill 60-end of Military Road being marked with bicycle road markings and signs. This would link Port Kembla train station to the beach. To facilitate these changes there would be no on-street parking on the south side of Military Road between Olympic Boulevard and Church Street.

Wollongong – Part of Smith, Kembla and Harbour streets converted to cycleways, and one-way traffic along Smith Street between Keira and Harbour streets to allow for a cycleway to the harbour.

“We know our community want to see Council deliver more cycleways and safer ways to ride about the city. These pilot programs are a way we’re able to move quickly to put changes to road conditions into place and work with our community to see what works best,’’ Wollongong City Council Director Infrastructure and Works Andrew Carfield said.

“We’re contacting the residents on the affected roads to let them know about the proposals and to seek their feedback on this concept, and we’ll consider their comments and whether further changes are needed as we move forward towards a temporary rollout from October this year.

“All these changes are not permanent. They’re a way we’re able to test the water, so to speak, and work with our residents on longer term changes that meet the changing needs of our community, and all our road users.’’

The measures in place as part of the pilot projects would also seek to reduce the speed of drivers using the roads along the residential streets. The placement of speed cushions would encourage reduced vehicle speeds in these locations.

“We know there are many passionate advocates in our community keen to work with Council to improve our cycling infrastructure,’’ Mr Carfield said.

“They’ve told us through our annual planning processes and are now participating in the community engagement as part of our Cycling Strategy. These pilot projects are our way to demonstrate we’re not only asking for feedback, but actively responding and trialling new things.

“While these ideas might be spot-on, we’re also open to feedback for what does work, what needs tweaking and what can be done better. Let’s work together to see what can be done to improve cycling opportunities for everyone in our community.’’

For more information visit Council’s website or call Customer Service on (02) 4227 7111.

This project is partially funded by TfNSW Fast Tracked Roadside Public Spaces Program.

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