Green link rife with delays

Frustrated residents of Sydney’s Innerwest will rally on Saturday October 29 for the development of a green strip between Marrickville and Leichhardt.

The 5km stretch of parkland, known as the GreenWay, was promised in conjunction with the light rail extension by the Labor state government.

But in September, the Liberal government announced a deferral of the GreenWay and a delayed delivery of the rail line.

Spokesperson for Friends of the Greenway, Jud Agius said those in the Innerwest desperately need a traffic-free route to the city.

“It would be the first integrated transportation project in Sydney which combines rail, cycle and pedestrian activity,” he said.

“The previous state government committed funding for the GreenWay and light rail and said they would develop it by 2012.”

Friends of the GreenWay is amplifying support for the development of both projects by hosting the GreenWay Festival from October 23 to 29 and will lead the charge at the Johnson Park rally in Dulwich Hill.

The rally, from noon to 1pm, is to put pressure on councillors and the NSW government to commit to developing the green corridor. “It’s a strategic cycle route that crosses six major roads including Parramatta Rd without having to interact with traffic,” Mr Agius said.

The Dulwich Hill resident said both projects are urgent considering the Department of Planning’s recent population forecast of an additional 80,000 people, a 35 per cent increase, to the Innerwest by 2036.

“The new Liberal government axed funding and deferred plans for the Greenway. They also pushed back the completion date for the light rail to 2014,” he said.

Mr Agius spoke to Minister of Transport, Gladys Berejiklian, about why the GreenWay was deferred.  “The reason given was the construction of the Greenway would delay the delivery of the railway,” he said. “The Minister of Transport said funding wasn’t the real issue, it’s timing. That’s their priority … but they’ve already pushed it back,” he said.

A spokesperson at the Department of Transport said the state budget allocated $103 million for the expansion of the light rail network. “That includes the feasibility study to extend the light rail line into the central business district, to the University of New South Wales and to the University of Sydney.”

“The original announcement by the last Government of the cost and construction issues for the light rail extension and the Greenway did not accurately reflect the work involved, the NSW Government has now updated the cost estimates and the work needed.”

The current projected cost for the GreenWay is $37 million. “It will cost more to build the Greenway later, you have to design and build them together,” Mr Agius said.

The Mayor of Marrickville councillor Morris Hanna said the council would campaign for the GreenWay. “We’ve been asking for it for a long time,” he said. “There is a whole community of support for the GreenWay – from community groups, schools, councils and political leaders.”

The green strip would extend the existing parkland along Hawthorne Canal to Cook’s River in Marrickville, connecting Haberfield, Leichhardt, Petersham, Lewisham, Dulwich Hill and Marrickville.