Ditching the Greenway: Inner West not taking rumours lightly
The construction of the Inner West Greenway is in doubt after concerns that funding for the long-awaited shared pedestrian and cycle path might be pulled.
The Greenway was originally planned to run in tandem with the light rail extension to Dulwich Hill but suspected budget cuts mean the light rail extension could be built without the Greenway.
Greens Member for Balmain, Jamie Parker, asked if Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian would publicly commit funding to the Greenway during parliament earlier this month.
“The light rail and the greenway are integrated projects so why would the government build half a project?” Mr Parker said.
In response, Ms Berejiklian restated the O’Farrell Government’s commitment to light rail.
Gavin Gatenby, convenor of community-based transport action group Ecotransit said neglecting to build the Greenway would be a wasted opportunity to attract more light rail commuters.
“The shared path will provide a vital north-south active transport link and it will actually increase patronage on the light rail,” Mr Gatenby said.
“If the work isn’t done now, it will be more difficult and expensive to do after the trams start running.”
The total cost of the new transport corridor is estimated at $150 million, $30 million of which is allocated to the Greenway.
But Mr Gatenby is skeptical of this figure.
“Nothing about the Greenway is in any way an engineering challenge and we are also extremely skeptical of the reported $30m cost,” he said. “It looks to us like Treasury’s old habit of wildly exaggerating estimates in order to kill off a project.”
Since its election, the O’Farrell Government has integrated the existing Central to Lilyfield light rail line into Sydney’s existing ticket fare structure and has announced several feasibility studies into expanding Sydney’s light rail network to the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney.
Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian did not respond to The Inner West Independent over the rumours that the Greenway funding had been axed
If constructed, the Greenway will provide urban bushland regeneration and preservation zones along its length. It would allow for natural habitats that would not otherwise thrive in such a densely-populated suburban location and provide a green corridor for animals to migrate between isolated pockets of natural habitat within the city.
The Dulwich Hill light rail extension is currently under construction and will not be affected by any changes to the Greenway. It is due for completion in late 2012.
By Simon Anderson
