MOD 2 - The Crescent overpass and active transport links

I object to this proposed modification. See attached.

Dear Sir Madam,
I have been a Resident of Annandale for 19 Years and I wish to STRONGLY OBJECT to the Rozelle Overpass.
And the unnecessary destruction of tress and Buruwan Park in Annandale.
It is completely unnecessary; all the destruction of the existing trees along City West Link -
It has become and ugly site when driving in and out of the suburb.
We care for our local environment and request the destruction of trees cease immediately.

In this era of climate Change the current State Government seems hell bent on creating more roads and encouraging
more cars without consideration for public Transport.

How is that London and Paris - Bigger Cities than Sydney can move commuters around Efficiently and frequently with
Underground and Metro. Producing less green house gases than Sydney and its congested roads.

The Rozelle link was originally planned as an underground 'underpass' at the intersection of the City West Link
and The Crescent.
The RMS and their contractor are now proposing to build a two-lane overpass up to EIGHT metres above the City West Link.
Completely out of character of this Historic suburb created in 1823.

Is this a Cost issue ? Why the change from the Original plans.
Does the Contractor / Government Relation ship need to be investigated by ICAC ?
There seems to be inappropriate dealings going on with this about face.
And indeed very minimal consultation with the local community
The Diagrams display no indication of the true impact not the Crescent and fail to indicate just how it will look.
Is this going to be another Cahill Expressway ???

This plan completely ignores the conditions of consent given for this project and threatens to impose even more on the
landscape, liveability and amenity for residents and commuters that come to Annandale and Rozelle.
I’m concerned that this Los Angeles style overpass will:

Have an unacceptable and unnecessary visual impact, and obstruct a significant local mural;
Create more congestion, car pollution and noise.
Increase the traffic on Johnston Street - with 3 Local primary schools, 3 churches and 2 Nursing Homes.
Make it more difficult for pedestrians to access Jubilee Park from Johnston St Annandale and the Rozelle Goods Yards in Lilyfield;
Destroy over 70 trees including the large, mature fig trees at Buruwan Park; and
Fail to solve Sydney's traffic congestion problem.
As there has been very little discussion on this matter with the local community,
I think this is ENVIRONMENTAL RAPE -
Could they please STOP cutting down the tress until a final decision is made re the overpass
PLEASE continue with the original Plan of the Tunnel.

Thank you

The original design linked the planned park in Rozelle with the crescent for pedestrians and cyclists. This encourages physical activity and provides a safe route between Rozelle and annandale. This is currently a difficult stretch of path for pedestrians and cyclists and is widely used. Our kids will be going to blackwattle bay and we would want them to walk, ride not rely on the bus or car. Putting an overhead road is bad design, will look awful and does not give great options for pedestrians. I oppose this. Look at places like New York where the addition of parks and links to parka have made significant improvements to the way of life of all residents.

I am writing to register my objection to the proposed modification to the M4-M5 link, the crescent overpass and changes to pedestrian access to the Annandale Foreshore and transport.
I am a long term resident of Annandale, originally moving here in 1983 and attending Annandale North Public School and now residing in Bayview Crescent. I have watched Annandale foreshore develop from timber yards, attended the opening of the bicentennial park, seen the construction of the city west link and the development of Harold Park. I am pro-development of infrastructure and building more functional and livable cities and this is the first time i have ever made a submission in objection to a proposed development.
I have been supporting west connex and moved to Bayview Crescent Annandale on the understanding there was to be significant road works and disruption over the next few years, something i believe is necessary for Sydney to remain competitive as a global city.
I strongly object to the modification of plans being proposed for the M4-M5 link, the introduction of the crescent overpass, the removal of the green link and pedestrian infrastructure.
Not only will this make the functionality of the foreshore difficult to access and increasingly dangerous for the community, it will visually affect the foreshore which makes Annandale unique. Similar to the construction of the Cahill expressway, this cannot be undone once it has been implemented, and will affect generations to follow.
Witnessing the distress this is causing residents and what i believe will be the desecration of the foreshore, I am requesting that the RMS reinstate the original plan submitted providing a green link between Rozelle, Annandale and the Glebe Foreshore. That they provide safe pedestrian access across the crescent from the Rozelle Light Rail, put the interchange underground as originally proposed which received relatively limited objections from the community.
There is need for development of infrastructure but there is a right and wrong way to implement this. The RMS needs to prioritise the effect this will have on the community and future generations and resubmit a plan with further consultation, not just with local residents but with the wider inner west community that will be affected.
I am requesting that the RMS reinstate plans for the Green link, provide safe and direct pedestrian and cyclist access to the foreshore, remove the crescent overpass which would have significant detrimental visual impact on the foreshore and impact potential future development and to provide connections underground as originally proposed.
Kind Regards,
Jesse Hegg
5 Bayview Crescent, Annandale
Email – [email protected]
Mob. 0408 480 989

REF: Application: SSI 7485

Dear Director,

I am a member of RAW and reside in nearby Lilyfield, adjacent to the Rozelle goods yard. I object to the application and I urge you to reject it on the following grounds:

SSI 7485 is a significant breach of a promise given by the then Premier Baird in 2016.

The community was given a firm promise by Premier Baird that the Rozelle Interchange would be constructed underground.

This was in response to the community outrage at the originally proposed LA style spaghetti junction.

I am of the firm belief that radial freeways, tolled or otherwise, will actually worsen congestion in those suburbs on the edge of the CBD and do little to improve Sydney’s overall traffic congestion by encouraging people to use a car instead of public transport.

We were reassured by Premier Baird’s promise that the Rozelle Interchange would be entirely constructed underground; and lulled into believing that no further community action to this ill-advised project was needed.

This amendment flies in the face of the premier’s promise. It is a major breach of trust and can only be seen as completely disregarding the wishes of the local and the wider Sydney community.

SSI 7485 removes the direct cycle and pedestrian link from the proposed park to the Annandale foreshore.

Although an indirect link is included in the proposal to construct an elevated flyover, its path is problematic for a number of reasons.

(i) The proposed elevated route from the Rozelle goods yard park to the foreshore is significantly longer, about 6 times as long, than the originally proposed green link crossing the City West Link in the vicinity of the now destroyed Buruwan Park.

(ii) The gradients that ascending and descending this proposed path presents will ensure significantly less accessibility for mothers with prams and other people with mobility issues. This will inevitably mean that they will have to navigate the surface level crossings at the Crescent or will not be able to move over the crossing at all.

(iii) The elimination of the originally proposed short and direct green link forces pedestrians to cross 5 sets of traffic lights to access either the RGYP (Rozelle Goods Yard Park) or the Annandale foreshore.

(iv) The elevation of the flyover brings both pedestrians and cyclists near to the level of the top of the three adjacent exhaust stacks. In periods of atmospheric inversions, common in spring and autumn and especially so in winter months, coupled with a low mixing height - conditions that can persist for days on end - will ensure that the toxic carcinogenic plumes from these three stacks will seriously impact on the health of both pedestrians and cyclists seeking access to and from the RGYP and the Annandale foreshore.

SSI 7485 proposes a visual eyesore further alienating Rozelle and Annandale communities.

The flyover is a physical, psychological and ugly visual barrier that serves to further isolate local communities. It is completely unnecessary given that there are other alternatives that would solve the anticipated congestion at the Crescent/City West Link intersection. We should not have to put up with aesthetically ugly constructions in this day and age when there are other alternatives.

It hardly needs stating that opponents of WestConnex had long ago drawn the Government’s, the RMS and the Department of Transport, Assessment and Planning Services attention to the obvious problems of traffic congestion at the White Bay/City West Link/Anzac Bridge/Victoria Road junctions that radiating freeways such as WestConnex pose.

With at least 42 lanes of traffic converging here the inevitable chaos was glaringly evident to all, except it seems to those charged with assessing the merits of this unwise, deleterious and short sighted tollroad project.


SSI 7485 has been part of the RMS’s plans for months but was never brought to the attention of the public.

Buried in the EIS for the Western Harbour Tunnel were plans indicating that this flyover was essentially a fiat accompli. The legality of this deceit needs to be challenged and the exhibition phase be put on hold until the matter is investigated and the issue resolved.

SSI 7485 makes a mockery of both the pretext of community engagement and the EIS.

Proposing such a major change at the last minute is in essence a denial of justice and democracy. The short exhibition phase gives little time for the community to adequately assess the proposal, to determine and evaluate an acceptable response and to offer a less pernicious alternative.

Recommendations arising from the exhibited proposal.

RAW is aware that the Rozelle Interchange will proceed. We do seek to influence the determination of SSI 7485 however. We therefore ask that the following recommendations and amendments be adopted:

• That the amendment in its present form be rejected.
• That an investigation be undertaken to determine why SSI 7485 was included in the WHT EIS before SSI 7485 was exhibited and approved.
• That the originally proposed direct green link be reinstated.
• That congestion at the Crescent/City West Link be alleviated by constructing a tunnel network to connect Crescent traffic to both Victoria Road and the Anzac Bridge, thus doing away with the flyover/overpass proposed in SSI 7485.
• That further tree removal be halted in Buruwan Park and that the park be reinstated to again provide a much needed green space for North Annandale residents and shade adjacent to the Light Rail station.

Yours sincerely
Joelle Patten

I object to the new potential WestConnex overpass at Rozelle. A huge overpass that will sit above the intersection of the City West Link and The Crescent. Modification from underground to a huge overpass around The Crescent and City West Link. Plans agreed to 2 years ago and formally approved last year sent The Crescent at Annandale in the City's Inner West underground.

Director, Transport Assessment Planning Services
Department of Planning, Industry & Environment
GPO Box 39
Sydney, NSW 2001

Application: SSI 7485

Dear Director Transport Assessment Planning Services

The Hunters Hill Trust writes to record its objection to this proposal on the basis that it is not human centric. It does not create the best, principled outcomes for the community in relation to amenity, air quality, green space, connectivity and liveability. it is not a 21st century solution that respects people, place and environment to sustain us into the future.

We agree with the key concerns expressed by other community groups with the M4-M5 Modification 2 The Crescent overpass and changes to pedestrian infrastructure in North Annandale, Rozelle and Rozelle Bay Foreshore as follows:
The significantly reduced safety and increased risk for pedestrians and cyclists with removed access over The Crescent to Bicentennial Park and the increased traffic along Johnson Street;
Being required to cross five sets of pedestrian lights at The Crescent as the option to reach the foreshore from Annandale or from the Rozelle Bay light rail stop;
Inclusion of preliminary work in the proposed modification to link to the Western Harbour Tunnel, which has not received assessment or approval as a project to date;
and, particularly for Hunters Hill, Gladesville and Drummoyne residents - the resulting bottleneck on Victoria Road to and from the Anzac Bridge with increased traffic times and increased pollution due to the change of intersections in the proposed modification. This is particularly pertinent for all residents/commuters residents on/near Victoria Road as this is the only route for public transport/cars into or towards the city, which will be severely impacted with the change in intersection alignment as a result of this proposed change.
We also object to the many visual impacts on this historic area of Sydney.
We request that RMS reinstate the GreenLink and design pedestrian and cyclist connections that are continuous, safe and direct, taking into account the character of the suburbs and location of the foreshore.

Yours sincerely,


Alister Sharp
President
Hunters Hill Trust