Homebush Bay Bridge

I am supportive of the construction of the bridge on the proposed principles of no general access to vehicle traffic and providing access to public transport and emergency vehicles and pedestrians and cyclist only.

The use of private vehicles on the bridge should under no circumstance be allowed as it will result in a major traffic diversion causing significant traffic impacts on Wentworth Point as well as Rhodes and resulting in increased danger on Hill Road.

For this bridge to live up to it's promise it is essential that sufficient public transport be provided by STA to allow for easy movement between the landmark community facilities on either side of the bridge and in Olympic Park.The Homebush Bay Bridge development creates the opportunity for an additional bus route to be introduced. This bus route could encompass Newington, Wentworth Point,Olympic Park Ferry Wharf, Rhodes Railway Station, Rhodes Shopping Centre, Concord Hospital , DFO and Sydney Olympic Park, running in a loop in both directions.

In addition I would request that the space under the bridge on the Wentworth Point side of the bridge which is to be enclosed, be made available for storage and club facilities for the existing local water sport club, the Waterfront Kayak Club. This would allow the club to expand and accommodate additional members from Rhodes, it would also make the club more accessible to members in Rhodes who would merely have to cross the bridge. To this extend it is critical that access to the water be supplied via a jetty that will allow for the launch of kayaks.

If the bridge is to be used for special event transport at Sydney Olympic Park a curfew needs to be placed on what time buses can pass through the Wentworth Point suburb to Rhodes to gain access to Homebush Bay Drive. No special event buses should be passing through the communities after 11:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 11pm on other days.

The only concern I would raise with regards to the bridge development is the proposed increase in high density residential development. Wentworth Point has only one access road, Hill Road. Increase in population without sufficient public transport solutions will result in increased traffic and noise on the peninsula which will result in a reduction in the standard of living of all residents in Wentworth Point and Rhodes. In addition consideration should be given to the social impacts of high density living and the necessary amenities made available to allow for community interaction.

I believe it will provide real advantages to the surrounding communities.

Planning Co-ordinator, Sydney Region West
Department of Planning and Infrastructure
GPO Box 39
SYDNEY NSW 20001


DA 10_0192, Homebush Bay Bridge, Wentworth Point

Sydney Harbour Association is an unincorporated body of individuals interested in Sydney Harbour, having as its primary Object:
"[T]he promotion of the following principles in relation to development and change affecting Sydney Harbour:
(a) protection and preservation of the natural heritage, assets and ecology of Sydney Harbour and its foreshores;
(b) primacy of the public good over private benefit in development;
(c) facilitation of public access to the waters and foreshores of Sydney Harbour;
(d) protection and enhancement of the visual and recreational amenity of the waterways and foreshores of Sydney Harbour".

In its Submissions of 5 October 2003 relating to Homebush Bay West: Draft Development Control Plan and Draft Public Domain Manual, and Homebush Bay West: Wentworth Point Masterplan, our predecessor body (Sydney Harbour and Foreshores Committee) re- stated its support for the provision of a bridge over Homebush Bay, that bridge having been earlier requested in its submission relating to the Rhodes Masterplan.

Having reviewed those earlier submissions, our Association is happy to support the present proposal.

We emphasise that the bridge height should be restricted to that height which is the minimum practical to allow maintenance of the Homebush Bay waters. In particular, we are concerned to ensure that larger vessels do not have access to the Bay, having regard to the potential for disturbance of the sediment cap.

We also support strongly the separation of pedestrian traffic from wheeled traffic, as proposed.

Michael Rolfe, President 15 April 2012

I support the proposed bridge between Rhodes and Wentworth Point. We currently have a transport issue to the area, and the bridge will help reduce this issue. The simple fact is that with the potential 10,000 residents to be be within the Wentworth point area over the next ten years, the current roads will not be adequate to deal with the expected traffic. The bridge will be very positive for the community from now and for the long term.

I fully support to build this bridge to make more convinenet for the residents on the wentworth point side

I support the Homebush bay bridge 100%. Transport has been a major issue for our community and we have been waiting for sooo long for this bridge to happen.

Most of us go to work via public transport and the because of this bridge we could use the Rhodes train station, which makes our lives so much better.

Thanks,
Naveen.

I support the Homebush bay bridge 100%. Transport has been a major issue for our community and we have been waiting for sooo long for this bridge to happen.

Most of us go to work via public transport and the because of this bridge we could use the Rhodes train station, which makes our lives so much better.

Thanks,
Hema.

The entry/ exit level of the bridge on the Rhodes (Eastern) side of bay should be the same as the other side.
Reasons:
By the time the bridge is built the pathway/cycleway along the shoreline will be well established and low level exit/ entryto the bridge will create an unnecessary intersection.
If this low level intersection is created the existing two metre high retaining wall running along the pathway/cycleway and returning up Gauthorpe Street will block any view of aproaching west travelling traffic.

I completely support a pedestrian bridge between Wentworth Point and Rhodes. The sooner is built, the better for the community.

As a resident of Wentworth Point I wish to voice my strong support of the Homebush Bay Bridge project.

One of the few downsides of living in the wonderful community of Wentworth Point is its relative isolation in terms of accessibility. I believe this Bridge will add an important and extremely useful option to the ways our suburb can be accessed and the way our residents can access the major shopping and public transport hub of Rhodes.

It seems to be a project which has been well thought out and which will add a great deal to our community.

Regards,
Kathy Blanter

I support this project, I believe it will have a positive effect on Wentworth Point and surrounding areas, provide greater accessibilty to Rhodes transport and shopping and accessibility to ferry services for Rhodes residents, potentially decrease congestion around Australia Ave Olympic Park and Homebush Bay Drive whilst having minimal adverse noise and environmental effects.

I feel that the greatest benefit of this development is provided to the Wentworth Point residents, as they will have access to the rail network and the shopping centre and also I suppose, our new community centre and its benefits.

Whilst the bridge will allow both cycle and pedestrian access for Rhodes residents to Olympic Park and transport to the ferry wharf, it should be noted that we already have access to Olympic Park via Bi-Centenial Park and the Meadowbank ferry wharf is closer to us via the old John Whitten bridge than Olympic Park stop is at the end of Wentworth Point.

The community would much prefer a primary school closer to us on this side of the water than having to travel by bus to one on Wentworth Point, which would surely mean many more bus movements to transport all the school children to school both morning and afternoon than the figure of eight to ten bus movements per hour at peak as stated in the application.

I believe the Residents of Rhodes will have to contend with most of the down sides to this proposal such as bus movements and the associated noise and with little benefit to their standard of living.

I support the Homebush Bay Bridge project as I consider this some vital infrastructure for the developing Wentworth Point community.

However, I believe the following items should be included in any development approval:
1. Careful consideration of the increased height of apartment blocks required to pay for the bridge. Govt needs to carefully control height.
2. The park adjacent to where the bridge finishes in Wentworth Point and extenson of The Promenade along Homebush Bay should be completed as part of the project.
3. The area under the Wentworth Point side of the bridge should be donated to the Wentworth Point community for use by community organisations, and particularly the kayak club.
4. NSW Govt needs to ensure that adequate public transport services are provided to connect the Wentworth Point community with Rhodes station and the SOP ferry wharf.

At the pedestrian seating areas along the bridge, the footpath should be widened to preserve its clear width. Without such widening these benches would trip blind pedestrian.

Any overhead shelters for pedestrian has to be high enough (say 2.5 m), so blind pedestrian's head would not collide with the shelters.

Consistent 3 m footpath clear width along the whole bridge, including the bend at the approach bridge, would benefit blind pedestrian.

We wish to make a submission against the proposed bridge. Please see attached file for comprehensive reasons. If you need to contact us for further review or for a further hearing please feel free to contact us anytime. We look forward to being able to present our reasons at any future hearing. Kind regards
Jennifer dixon
Peter dixon
June Cheeseman
27 Cavell ave
Rhodes NSW. 2138

Sydney Olympic Park Business Association represents around 72 Business in and around the Park. We support the proposal to build a pedestrian, cycle and bus bridge between Wentworth Point and Rhodes.

Since 1999 little has been done to improve access and egress in and around Sydney Olympic Park, despite the growth in major events, businesses moving to the Park ( now around 150 with over 11,000 employees) and the Park's own residential community from January this year. The only significant improvement since then was the completion of additional turning lane off Homebush Bay Drive through the Australia Avenue Roundabout (opened October 2011) which has made a marked improvement. And this was actually funded by Sydney Olympic Park Authority. We believe removing some bus traffic from the roundabout and having it use the new bridge will further relieve congestion from this very busy roundabout.

I object to the Bridge over Homebush Bay from Wentworth Point to Rhodes on the following grounds:
1. Maritime has failed to take into account NSW Government and Federal government scenarios for sea level rise for climate change in setting the height of the bridge over the navigable channel in Homebush Bay.
2. The relevant Environmental assessment is grossly deficient in its analysis of the impacts of the proposed traffic flows within Rhodes as a result of the bridge being a public transport link. The routing of the traffic within Rhodes and it's consequent impact on residents, particulalry in shoreline Drive is not dealt with, yet is a direct results only of the bridge being built.
3. The impact of the Bridge on the proposed community centre in Rhodes near Gauthorpe Street will have a substantial negative impact and is not in the interests of the residents of Rhodes The reduction in opens space and communit y centre will have an adverse effect on the 11,500 residents of Rhodes.
4. The traffic impact of heavy buses in Gauthorpe Street with attendant noise, diesel pollution and risk to resident pedestrians including children is excessive and was not communicated to the purchasers before purchase of unnits in Statewide on the corner of Marquet and Gauthorpe Sts.. Diesel fumes will be particulalry bad at first floor leve and particulate matter is a known hazard for asthma sufferers. The setbacks are not long enough for a street with probably hundreds of buses a day if there is a need to bus children to school at Wentworth Point..
5. Routing of the buses to the Rhodes Shopping centre would require buses to return to the bridge through Shoreline Drive a quiet, narrow residential street at that southern end. No STA size bus can make the corner from facing west to facing north in Shoreline Drive near the shopping centre without crossing double yellow line on a blind corner.
6. The fumes at first floor level in shoreline drive between Rider Boulevarde and the bridge will be adverse to the ehalth and amenity of residents, and more so if hundreds of school children have to be bused to a school at Wentworth Point.
7. The reduction in amenity of users of the Rhodes foreshore pathways and parks because of the levels of the landing of the bridge on the Rhodes side is unwarranted and outweighs any perceived benefits of the bridge

This environmental assessment is grossly deficient even if done in accordance with DG's requirements as it doesn't cover any traffic analysis within Rhodes.

To Department of Planning and Infrastructure

I would like to make a formal complaint about the two-lane bridge proposal which recently included a provision for public transport (bus services). The proposed bridge is 455m long which would take approximately 5-6mins to walk from one end to the other, clearly not a distance difficult to commute by the average person especially given that cycling is allowed on the bridge. The introduction of a bus lane would negatively impact residence of both Wentworth Point and Rhodes Peninsula with higher noise pollution and higher traffic into Rhodes. The removal of public transport facilities on the bridge would not have a high impact on increased use of cars as the bridge as a footpath/cyclepath would on its own have a huge impact on convenience of the Wentworth Point residences that providing bus services would have a low cost to benefit ratio.

I would like to discuss this further so would welcome contact from your department regarding this matter.

Kind regards,



Jessica

See attached.