Thirroul’s Station, McCauley and Harbord Streets’ cycleway proposal scrapped

A CYCLEWAY proposal from Thirroul Railway Station to the beach has been scrapped by Wollongong City Council.

The Council has gone back to the drawing board after strong community opposition to a proposed route along Station, McCauley and Harbord Streets.

Instead, Council is seeking feedback on a new proposal to have bike riders travel on existing and newly-constructed shared paths in Thomas Gibson Park to Newbold Close and on-road to the existing road cycling route in Surfers Parade. Work is expected to start in early 2021.

Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said the plans are in response to Council’s Cycling Strategy 2030, and goals to encourage more people to explore alternative transport options.

Earlier the Council sought community feedback on proposals that would see modifications made to targeted routes in three suburbs to support bike riding.

“When we asked the community about the Thirroul proposal the feedback clearly indicated community concern about riding along Station Street,” Cr Bradbery said.

“We took onboard this commentary about it being too narrow and congested with traffic, and looked for an alternative route that supported better connections between the train station and the beach.”

Earlier this year, Council sought community feedback on proposals that would see modifications made to targeted routes in Port Kembla, Towradgi and Thirroul.

Letters to residents living in the areas where the cycleways will be constructed have been posted this week, and information has been published on Council’s website outlining the changes.

“These are pilot projects so once they’ve been installed, we’ll be checking in with the community for feedback on how they’re working,” Cr Bradbery said.

“Local knowledge is important when trialling new concepts and by working together we can ensure we’re meeting the needs of our whole community.’’

In Towradgi, there will be improved on-road cycling measures implemented in March. These include speed cushions, bicycle road markings and signage on Murranar Road, Carters Lane and Weber Crescent.

In Port Kembla the initial plans have been modified following community feedback. The new proposed route here now includes a separated on-road cycleway that will be built along Military Road from Darcy Road to Olympic and Gloucester Boulevards. This will link to the existing coastal cycle route, with the Darcy Road footpath converted to shared pathway.

It’s proposed that this new cycling link be in place before June 2021.

“I’m sure these pop-up routes will draw a lot of interest and there is plenty of information on Council’s website for those wanting to dig down into the details,” Cr Bradbery said.

“The changes will be introduced from early 2021 and rolled out by June this year. There are some exciting times ahead for our city’s riders of all levels and skills.”

The projects are funded by the NSW Government in association with Wollongong City Council.

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