I wanted to state my absolute rejection of the last minute modifications that detract from pedestrian and cycling infrastructure in North Annandale, Rozelle and Rozelle Bay Foreshore area.

I request RMS work with the community to explore alternate design options to the proposed new car overpass design and the changed pedestrian and cyclist links. I am seeking the reinstatement of the safe, direct access from the approved EIS GreenLink to create a continuous green open space connection from the Rozelle Rail yards and Annandale, to the foreshore. The GreenLink was more than just a walk way - it put people central to the design, maximising safety, and providing much needed accessible open space for the community now and into the future Bays Precinct design.

I am requesting RMS put people back into the plan — we want you to reinstate your own vision as laid out in Transport for NSW Future Strategy 2056. Work with us, the local community, to design a feasible option that brings the best elements from the approved EIS design into the modification. What is required and being asked by the most vocal members of the local community are obvious to any compassionate designer and administration who is able to comprehend the local stakeholder input, and acting contrarian to such feedback smacks of developer greed and massive conflicts of interests, and a irrefutable betrayal of trust with a bait and switch tactic typically deployed by short term government administrations, should the Mod 2 proceed unattended given the local community feedback echoed here and from other local community groups like the Annandale and Rozelle Foreshore Community. We need to have the greenest, most pedestrian friendly, school children friendly and greenest city in the world if we are going to increase the livability of the city as we continue our aggressive growth in population of the city of Sydney and the latest modifications fail in that goal.

My key concerns with the M4-M5 Modification are:
* 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 (are you designing a game of frogger for school chidren to fail at and be injured or killed?!) as my community's option to reach the foreshore from Annandale or from Rozelle Bay light rail stop.
* Removal of direct active links to the foreshore, cutting the community off from the area and the proposed revitalisation of the entire Bays Precinct, including linking the Light Rail and Bus stops to a Ferry wharf and Metro station.
* Urban and landscape design that is being built before a finalised Masterplan for the area.
* Traffic changes that limit movements around the suburb and create further congestion in the local streets of Annandale, Forest Lodge, Glebe, Lilyfield and Rozelle with no planning to deal with these.

Alongside these issues my other concerns include:
* a lack of vision to step change the tree coverage and greening of the project and surrounding spaces
* the prioritization of cars vs pedestrians and bikes
* the ongoing lack of filtration for the ventilation stacks without an immense major tree planting project in the immediate and all local surrounding areas to offset the pollution emitted within the local area - traffic pollution reduces intelligence (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/27/air-pollution-causes-huge-reduction-in-intelligence-study-reveals) and reduces life expectancy (https://phys.org/news/2018-11-air-pollution-global-life-years.html)
* We aren't embracing all opportunities to maximize and increase to a world leading level, the greening of the immediate and surrounding spaces (https://depts.washington.edu/hhwb/Top_Introduction.html) and the subsequent improved quality of life and improved credibility for the government and developers (https://greencitysolutions.de/en/benefits/) such cutting edge greening can achieve.

I sincerely hope the local community and the children of the project administrators will be proud of the amendments to Mod 2 that will prevail in the subsequent final changes to Mod 2 by addressing the concerns herein.

Director, Transport Assessments Planning Services
Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
GPO Box 39
Sydney, NSW 2001
Application: SSI 7485

Dear Director Transport Assessments Planning Services,

Please accept this Objection to the M4-M5 Link Modification to The Crescent Overpass and Active Links, App No. SSI 7485. I am seeking the reinstatement of the approved Green link and the conditions of consent namely E120 ad E121 be maintained and the principles of those conditions be applied. The Modification removes many of these principles thus requiring changes to the conditions.

Firstly I am seeking that RMS determines an alternate option that allows for network performance and maintains the conditions as written, without amendments. My understanding from RMS is that there are alternate options outside of those listed in the EIS Modification report which were not explored and would be feasible and allow for the original green link as a continuous pathway to be reinstated. Like any infrastructure project not all iterations of an option are explored unless the project team is pressed to do so due to constraints or in this case clearly identified consequences for the community that split the communities access to the foreshore, push pedestrians onto unsafe, unlinked and indirect pathways.

If RMS determine that they can not design an overpass or alternate option within their timeframe and contract arrangements already in place I request the overpass be put back into the Western Harbour Tunnel EIS as was originally designed. I object to limited time and already signed contracts being a determinant of in appropriate design, inadequate option investigation and removal of key elements that benefit the local community and in this case wider Sydney, due the active links being located on the foreshore and accessible as a destination for all Sydneysiders.

I do acknowledge minimising road disturbance by completing options now would be beneficial, however as the overpass and the active links are pieces of infrastructure that will live in their location far beyond the lifetime of any members involved in this project it is vital that the appropriate design and wider impacts be considered and mitigated. Once it is built everything else is a retrofit around it and this team and all involved have either contributed to an asset for the inner west or a legacy of poor planning and foresight which scars the landscape and the last remaining accessible part of the harbour.

I am seeking the reinstatement of the safe, direct access from the approved EIS GreenLink to create a continuous green open space connection from the Rozelle Rail yards and Annandale to the foreshore. The GreenLink was more than just a walk way - it put people central to the design, maximising safety, and providing much needed accessible open space for the community now and into the future Bays Precinct design.

My key concerns with the M4-M5 Modification are:
• The visual bulk of the overpass on the Crescent and how it cut s Annandale from the foreshore.
• The poor design of the alternate active transport links – not only being indirect, longer, steeper and unconnected to each other they are unattractive and not places that pedestrians or cyclists would be particularly comfortable being on from a health and safety perspective – as is the case of the current horseshoe crossing over Victoria Road -
• 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 my option to reach the foreshore from Annandale or from Rozelle Bay light rail stop.
• Removal of direct active links to the foreshore, cutting the community off from the area and the proposed revitalisation of the entire Bays Precinct, including linking the Light Rail and Bus stops to a Ferry wharf and Metro station.
• Urban and landscape design that is being built before a finalised Masterplan for the area.
• Traffic changes that limit movements around the suburb and create further congestion in the local streets of Annandale, Forest Lodge, Glebe, Lilyfield and Rozelle with no planning to deal with these.
• The lack of design aesthetic created from the new infrastructure in such a prominent location that hinders and changes views for residents, impacts the value of homes and particularly impacts the heritage value of Annandale – North Annandale being a conservation area.

Alongside these issues my other concerns include:
POOR CONSULTATION
I’m very concerned with the lack of community consultation around this modification which is a complete redesign of this intersection. Nearly everyone I talked to a week ago knew NOTHING about this change. This type of behaviour appears as if RMS is trying to sneak through major changes to our local area and only exacerbates the rift between you and the community.
The limited letterbox drop of pamphlets to immediate residents to the overpass - demonstrates a limited understanding of who uses and how the park is used. The absence of Emergency Services from the Consultation report – considering The Crescent and Johnston Street is a regularly used route for Ambulances to RPA – the overpass location will have local road traffic impacts that slow and push traffic further back into the suburb mainly due to two lanes from the street into a one lane overpass (before it changes back to two)- how will ambulances move through this new traffic creation? There is not captured consultation in the report.

WESTERN HARBOUR TUNNEL
RMS have confirmed that the overpass is preparation for the Western Harbour Tunnel. The design however ignores that most traffic off the Crescent does not turn left on to the City West Link, 90 percent will be trying to take the overpass to continue to the city and Victoria Road. Yet it is not design in a manner that captures this with the location of the bus stop blocking the entry and making it one lane entry only.

THE IMPACT ON OUR FAMILY
I am a parent of two young children, and we use the foreshore several times per week – so getting to my son’s football at Jubilee Park, to teaching them to ride bikes and scooters, playing at the playgrounds and walking to the Tramsheds. The ease of use of the area would have been enhanced by the original plans, and will be greatly eroded by the new ones. Why? Because the solve for the best traffic flow, not the best pedestrian/cyclist/resident flow. We are very concerned that no safety traffic audit has been completed and RMS have confirmed that this would not be completed until later – which means that there would be a retrofit for pedestrian safety if possible.

PRACTICING GOOD DESIGN
There are constraints in every design but my concerns around the MOD2 reports is significant work detailing the optimisation for cars and roads and a huge
number of disadvantages for pedestrians, cyclists and the internationally recognised asset that is the Sydney Harbour. A good design would optimise around unique and valuable assets (Harbour/Foreshore) and balance the needs of all stakeholders with special attention paid to those most at risk (pedestrians, cyclists).

My submission is asking RMS and DPIE as the approver:
• Reinstate the GreenLink connecting communities and green open space from Rozelle to Bicentennial Park and include the following elements.
• Relocate and design pedestrian and cyclist connections that are continuous, safe and direct.
• Design the modification infrastructure and active links in response to the character of the suburbs, the location of the foreshore and future development.
• Provide pedestrian and cyclist paths that maximise people safety and do not force them onto busier streets, unsafe concrete plazas and caged walkways.
• Integrate active and direct connections to all active transport – including the future Metro West and Foreshore Ferry Wharf
• Require the an urban design and landscape plan be completed prior to the detailed design completion to ensure appropriate and sensitive design to the area and the value of the harbour asset for Sydney and NSW.
• The conditions of consent include a reference group of residents – including Annandale residents Rozelle and Annandale Foreshore Community, in an urban design and landscape plan for the design of the active transport links and appropriate connection into the Foreshore and Bays Precinct Masterplan.

Yours Sincerely,
Sarah Forde

Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to express my concerns about the proposed modification to M4-M5 Link, Mod 2 The Crescent overpass.I am concerned about the loss of safe and direct access from Annandale to the foreshore and ask that the plans return to the initial approved design. As a resident in this area, I hope you will take my concerns seriously.
Yours sincerely,
Siegrun Krauss

Please don’t create this pollution intense concrete eyesore in our area. The project is destroying likyfield and Rozelle and no longer the green space as previously promised. Please ask the locals what they want instead of physically dividing the area and increasing traffic.

I object to the proposed amendments and plan

Instead of the promised GreenLink, there will be a concrete road overpass blocking the foreshore. And 5 sets of traffic lights to cross from Johnston St to the park. (And a whole lot of extra traffic in Nth Annandale through to Tramsheds)

It’s not safe for people (including kids) or attractive - and misses the opportunity to finally link all the cycle paths and walking paths together and create something special.

I strongly object to the proposed modifications to remove the agreed and approved Greenlink to the Crescent which has been outlined in the M4-M5 Link MOD 2. Please see details in the attached letter.

I firmly object.