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Parramatta Road at Lewisham - a real barrier to walking and riding along the GreenWay corridor
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The Vision
Imagine:
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a continuous, direct, safe, and shaded pathway link between the Cooks River and Iron Cove
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locals and those passing through alike can walk, pedal, scoot, pram push, dog walk or jog the five kilometers, between two major regional trail systems,
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in-between provides a "spine" route that allows movement within the suburbs of Dulwich Hill, Summer Hill, Lewisham, Haberfield and Leichhardt, and across the corridor between Ashfield and Marrickville, and Haberfield and Leichhardt
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being able to walk or ride through a high quality revegetated wildlife corridor
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crossing under New Canterbury, Old Canterbury and Parramatta Roads and over Marion Street without realising it!
This is what it would be like once the GreenWay Trail is in place!
The GreenWay Trail could possibly become a "Cadigal-Wangal Trail" or as the "Bandicoot Trail".
This would be realised is there was a shared multi-user trail from Cooks River pathway to Bay Run at Iron Cove = a GreenWay Trail. It should be a high quality, minimum 2.5m width and have: night lighting; landscaping; route signage; and interpreted features along its length. There could be development of the GreenWay Trail as a "Cadigal-Wangal Trail" or as the "Bandicoot Trail" and interpretive information .
The Trail could be developed with the following features:
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linking to Cooks River pathway at Beaman Park, Earlwood
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underpass under Wardell Rd bridge at Sth side of Cooks River looping up to Wardell Rd bridge
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upgrading of bridged crossing of Cooks River (widening of footpath and safety barrier
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both on-road and off-road route to Rail bridge at Ewart St
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link to the rail corridor at Jack Shannahan Reserve and construction of pathway in the corridor (over existing western rail formation) to Longport St Lewisham and connections to local streets
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constructed pathway through Summer Hill Flour Mill site
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use of westerly of the two formations under Longport St Lewisham, then bridged crossing to Cadigal Reserve pathway
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bridged link under Parramatta Rd to connect two existing pathways
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upgrade/rebuild of existing pathway to Marion St
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improved crossing Marion St
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new sections of pathway through Richard Murden Reserve to bypass playground and to avoid off-leash area
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new bridge crossing Hawthorne Canal to connect to Canal Rd
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Benefits of a GreenWay Trail
Once completed, the GreenWay Trail would provide the "missing Link" in the RTA's Bikeplan 2010. It is the only primary direct, and relatively flat north to South route in Inner Sydney, which provides connections for four major trip routes: Concord to Marrickville and reverse direction, Ashbury to Leichhardt and reverse direction, as well as links to the Cooks River Cycleway and Homebush to CBD bicycle route. See a map of these potential linkages on the map.
- a trail linking the Cooks River Pathway in the south, to the Bay Run and Homebush to CBD cycle route
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where grade separated crossings are put in place wither (through use of existing track formation and bridges or new crossings such as under Parramatta Road) the safe crossing of existing barriers such as Parramatta Road, Canterbury and New Canterbury Roads, the Main railway, City West Link Rd
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the potential to link a number of open spaces, parks and schools (within 400m of 24 schools in the catchment, 11 separate open space/parks) and as a spine route to conect the trellis catchment and the local bicycle network
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completes a network that allows people to appreciate a bush and revegetated corridor and assists in volunteer access and profile for bushcare work
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maintains a sustainable transport corridor, with potential for light rail to share the corridor with walking and cycling
- assist in shift from car trips to sustainable modes, by providing an alternative to short vehicle trips (to schools and shops fro instance), longer trips (to the CBD) and fitness/recreational trips. It would provide easier and safer access to light rail stations and public transport
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allied with bicycle storage would increase the catchment to
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a light rail stations (especially from the south of Summer Hill)
Greenways have the benefits of:
- improving the value of adjacent properties, and subsequently improve the tax base of the community2.
- servicing a wider range of the population than most community facilities
- creating direct and indirect revenue sources from local tourism
- exemplifying the way in which communities manage natural resources, which matters to the business community
- creating opportunities for better access to outdoor facilities for low cost health management, and lowering health care costs is one of the leading concerns of American business
source: http://www.southwestdetroit.com/Community/Greenways.htm
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Perfect Timing
The time to act on a GreenWay Trail has never been better. Along with the imminent closure of the Summer Hill floour mill as last client on the goods line, the Trail stacks up in terms of planning currently underway: State level, Sub-Regional level at in Council planning as shown below:
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a GreenWay trail from the Cooks River to Iron Cove is recognised as a priority trail system to be constructed as part of the Sydney's Regional Recreation Trails Network. The network is defined in the Parks and Public Spaces Strategy for Sydney, which is a component of the Metropolitan Strategy for Sydney, which lists the route as "4.2.1 Hawthorne Canal to Cooks River", a Priority 1 Trail (similar priority level to the Cooks River pathway)1.
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the South Sub-Regional Plan currently on exhibition does not show the GreenWay corridor. However it is understood that the Inner West Sub-Regional Plan which was to be released for comment in late April 2008 will include the GreenWay Trail and corridor2.
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a GreenWay Trail route largely using the railway corridor is shown as a regional route on the Draft SSROC Regional Bicycle Network Plan. There are a number of "regional" routes shown in the Draft Plan (in addition to the Cooks River pathway and the Homebush to CBD/BAy Run routes) that would link into a GreenWay Trail. However the on-road routes location and density and likely facility provision appear to be a similar in both density and usefulness to to the established marked local bike route network
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the trail route is shown in the Marrickville Bike Plan as a Regional recreational route, with a number of linkages to existing and proposed regional and local bicycle routes. The GreenWay Trail is listed as the highest priority route in the Marrickville Bike Plan. The GreenWay corridor is also included in the Marrickville Urban Strategy as one of three important corridors (Cooks River and Alexandra Canal the other two).
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Ashfield Council is in the process of reviewing their bike plan
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the recently completed Leichhardt Bike Plan shows a route along the GreenWay corridor using existing pathway network and a new pathway link under Parramatta Road
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the Sydney Walking Maps series includes a GreenWay Trail as a link between Sydney Harbour and the Cooks River walk.
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In Tandem With Light Rail Extension?
The GreenWay Trail could be a perfect complement to the proposed extension of light rail from Lilyfield. This is particularly true for the southern portion of the corridor where the trail could boost the catchment for patrons for the light rail, as well as develop a trail in the corridor at the same time as the light rail development. A key issue is securing the entire corridor for active and sustainable transport and biodiversity - for instance concerns have been raised that the corridor could be used for a surface arterial road. However, there when this was put to the local State MPs Verity Firth, Linda Burney and Carmell Tebbutt, they were not aware of any such proposal, nor would they support such use of the corridor. Use of the corridor for a roadway, or even for occassional storage of railway rolling stock would be a poor outcome for active and sustainable transport in the Inner West and for the GreenWay vision.
Another key issue is how the corridor is to be shared, and the extent to which the formation (i.e. the tracks) are used either exclusively for light rail, or with one of the tracks used for light rail (plus passing loops) and the other for the GreenWay Trail. The only feasible way in which the GreenWay Trail, a bush corridor and the light rail could be contained within the same rail corridor is where the railway formation is shared, with light rail services being run on a single track, and trail using the other (possibly using a cover system over the tracks). This shared use of the formation is the strategy being put forward by Friends of the GreenWay and is an essential component of the GreenWay concept.
You are urged to write to your local member to support the GreenWay vision for a continuous bush corridor and shared use of the railway formation for a GreenWay Trail and light rail extension.
(more will be added to this section in the coming weeks)
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| KEY LOCATIONS |
Coming soon! |
