Willoughby City Council has its draft Cycling Strategy and Action Plan 2034 on its “Have your say “ site here. Members who have any connection with Willoughby should have a look at it, and make a submission. By way of background, Willoughby has a network of bike routes of 66 km linking local centres and to adjacent LGAs (see map, also map at back of Plan). These provide routes for commuters, recreational riders, shoppers, school children, etc. The quality of marking/signage of the routes ranges from primitive to quite well marked. The routes comprise a mix of mostly on-road and shared paths. A proportion of the on-road segments comprise dooring lanes.
The Chatswood CBD is undergoing densification. There are around 25 high-rise development proposals with Council and/or State Government. About 12 of these have applications with State Government as State Significant Developments with affordable housing or build-to-rent, and qualify for 30% bigger developments than under Council’s LEP/DCP provisions (ie 90 m height becomes 127 m height). See map below. These developments will result in the introduction of a considerable number of additional cars to Chatswood, exacerbating already difficult traffic conditions. Improved cycling infrastructure and a greater number of residents cycling for local needs are clearly imperatives to reduce additional traffic congestion.
Points that you might like to take into consideration in making a submission could be:
a) Is the Plan ambitious enough/specific enough in terms of the additional cycling facilities/cyclists it envisages? For example, additional bike racks at stations and shopping centres, additional cyclist numbers making trips within Willoughby
b) Is the time frame it proposes sensible/adequate? Note that it proposes to take up to 10 years to audit Council’s 66 km of bike routes and make recommendations for upgrades
c) Is it accurate in terms of defining the existing facilities (eg bike rack numbers) that will be used to define the base numbers for future improvements?
d) Would some actual costing of proposed works be useful in order to determine if the proposed plan actions are within Council’s financial capability, or to help map out a plan for future budgets?
e) Is there an adequate balance proposed between big ticket items (eg shared paths, Mowbray to St Leonards through Artarmon and Mowbray to Boundary Rd) and improvements (eg signage) on local links to the CBD?
f) Is there a role designated for Bike North to use its expertise in running bike events to help promote cycling in Willoughby?
While perusing the Plan you might also like to compare it with previous 2012 and 2017 plans:
During 2023-24 Council had an Active and Integrated Transport Advisory Committee which included a number of Bike North members. I think those members would agree that the Committee met with only limited success in achieving members’ goals. Hopefully the Committee will be reconstituted under the newly elected Council. The more Bike North members who read the draft Plan and make submissions, the stronger will be that Committee’s ability to achieve bike infrastructure improvements of benefit to members and Willoughby residents.