Parramatta Road will prioritise buses,pedestrians and cyclists.Credit:Rhett Wyman
The government has also released plans to extend bus lanes along Victoria Road in Rozelle,Drummoyne,Gladesville,Ermington and Melrose Park.
The longer-term plans include extra space along Victoria Road for pedestrian and bike paths after the $5 billion Western Harbour Tunnel between Rozelle and North Sydney is completed in 2027.
Despite parliament entering caretaker mode ahead of the election,Infrastructure and Cities Minister Rob Stokes said the new bus and transit lanes along Parramatta Road were “locked in stone”.
“This is the next big improvement with new transit lanes,new bus lanes[and] new bus priority access improvements,” he said. “There is a whole bunch of bus priority work that’s being done on Parramatta Road and Victoria Road straight away.”
One of the justifications for WestConnex was that it would remove traffic from Parramatta Road.Credit:Rhett Wyman
Labor transport spokeswoman Jo Haylen said the Coalition had been making promises about Parramatta Road for years but achieved nothing. “Rob Stokes had more than eight years to do this,and he’s failed,” she said.
Stokes,who is quitting politics after the state election,said the greater width of the Victoria Road reserve allowed more enhancements such as separated cycle and pedestrian paths to be built along that corridor than was possible on Parramatta Road.