OVERWHELMING support for a Bulli bypass is evident in a newly released consultation summary report, with 84 per cent of respondents in favour of the development.

More than 2400 submissions were made during the consultation period last year with respondents citing easing traffic congestion, building road network resilience and improving road safety as key priorities to making Bulli a better place to live, visit, study and work.

The NSW Government has provided $20 million for Transport for NSW to investigate the extension of Memorial Drive from the Princes Highway at Hospital Road to provide a bypass of the Bulli town centre.

Early planning started in 2023 including traffic data collection, strategic traffic modelling, early strategic designs, and preliminary environmental investigations, in addition to the community consultation.

Feedback received from the community has been summarised in the consultation report and will be used to inform investigations as they continue.

The robust investigations will take time to carry out and will be used to develop an options report and a strategic business case, both of which are on track to be completed this year. 

NSW Minister for the Illawarra and the South Coast Ryan Park has thanked the community for getting behind early planning for the project by providing invaluable feedback during the consultation period.

“The NSW Government is committed to planning for the right infrastructure to improve safety and efficiency across our road network and support our growing community and its visitors”, Mr Park said.

While support for the project among respondents was strong, Wollongong City Council Greens councillor Jess Whittaker said other options to ease traffic congestion at Bulli should be looked at first.

Cr Whittaker said that while 23 percent of respondents reported they use bicycles or walking to get where they need, 69 percent want better active transport. Only 18 percent of people use buses or trains, but 64 percent want better public transport.

“This shows there is a community desire for other transport options in our northern villages and we should pursue this before we look to build more roads as a solution to our car problem,” she said.

“People want to use their bikes, their new e-bikes, as well as take the bus or a train, but there are currently barriers stopping them. Addressing this issue will reduce traffic, improve our lifestyle in our villages and ease the cost of living,” Cr Whittaker said.

“Around the world we have seen other cities bust traffic congestion by getting people out of cars on short trips and journeys. We can do that by helping to get people active and invest in great public transport so people know they can get to where they need to go reliably and safely without a car.

“Investing millions in consultant reports for road projects that are possibly decades away, to fix a problem we have right now, is quite literally kicking the can down the road. We should be funding solutions that make a difference to accessibility in Bulli right now.”

State MP for Heathcote Maryanne Stuart said a range of options are being considered as part of the Bulli bypass investigations with the aim of improving network resilience and future capacity by providing new detour routes for freight and road users.

“It is important we take the time to carry out these comprehensive investigations to ensure we develop a solution that supports the future of our region,” she said.

 “I thank the community for their time and consideration in compiling their submissions.”

Meanwhile Mr Park said Transport for NSW will continue to keep the community informed as the Bulli bypass investigations continue.

More information, including the consultation report, is available at: http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/bulli-bypass

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