Local Government Elections – Randwick candidate responses

Randwick

Letter

Will you commit to supporting the planning and, where possible, implementation of the following key projects in the next term of government?

• Centennial Park (Alison Rd) to Kingsford (Gardeners Rd) via high-standard cycleway along Doncaster Ave and Houston Rd – connecting to light rail stops/UNSW.
• Kensington (Doncaster Ave) to Rosebery (Link Rd and O’Dea Ave) via a high-standard cycle facility on Todman Ave / Lenthal St – connecting to City of Sydney cycle routes
• Kingsford (Sturt St) to Maroubra Junction (Fitzgerald Ave) via a high-standard cycleway along Anzac Pde median – linking to the Kingsford light rail terminus/bicycle parking station.
• South Coogee (Malabar Rd) to Kingsford (Gardeners Rd) via a high-standard cycle facility via Bundock and Sturt Sts – feed into the Kingsford light rail terminus

Will you commit to supporting development of this network and, where possible, implementation of the following key projects?

• Eastern Sydney Bays & Beaches Bike Route (Coastal cycle route) -iconic, signposted route connecting
• Clovelly to La Perouse – linking to with routes to Vaucluse and Mascot.
• Maroubra Junction (Anzac Pde) to Pagewood (Bunnerong Rd) – a safe, high-standard bike route connecting to Eastgardens and proposed Heffron Rd cycleway in Bayside LGA.
• ‘Randwick Education & Health Centre’ to Bondi Junction link – provide a much-needed safe bike route linking these key growth/employment hubs via Frenchmans Rd.

Councillor candidates – Central Ward

• D – The Greens – James Cruz (Full response)
  • “I believe that cycleways are important to creating a fully integrated transport network alongside public transport across the city. That means that these modes of transport should always be prioritsed above cars and implementing cycleways across Randwick will be a very practical objective for the next council term. The Greens have already committed to preserving space along the median strip down Anzac Pde for this purpose.
    I think it’s important to work with our neighbouring councils to achieve the best outcomes when it comes to extending cycleways outside our area. We would need to gain their support to have cycleways extending into Bayside and Waverley councils for these projects but I’m committed to actively engaging with their new Councillors to make it happen.
    I think that if councils make the effort to make cycling more safe in our area and promote the good work we can do in this area, parents will feel much more comfortable with their children riding on our local roads. In this instance we must first build safer areas for riders before people will be willing to use them.”

Councillor candidates – East Ward

• A – Independent – Anil Ramos (Full response)
  • “I would like to add that I very much support the encouragement of more bicycle use throughout Sydney by the establishment of safe routes with separated bike lanes, preferably on the inside of parking lanes. I would also advocate for the installation of bike racks on buses, which would allow further destinations to be accessible to riders without the need of a car to transport their bicycles. Furthermore, I feel electric bicycles should play a bigger role in transportation, as it does in Japan, especially for the very hilly areas around the Eastern Suburbs and for stay-at-home parents who only need to travel within a small radius most of the time. I believe that Council could play a very big role in encouraging bike usage by establishing safe routes, educational opportunities, biker-friendly infrastructure, and any other incentives. As an occasional cycler into the city for work, I appreciate the work your group has done and will encourage the other candidates in my group to consider the biking population in our community.
    We are residents and independents whose platform is centred around protecting our open spaces, crown land, and current infrastructure from overdevelopment and projects that are inappropriate for and exploitative of our community. A large cycling population would go hand-in-hand with a reduction in traffic congestion, something we are very much concerned with.”
• B – Labor – Tony Bowen (full response)
  • I have been a cyclist all of my life and regular user of existing cycleways through Randwick to Centennial Park , the city and south to Rockdale, Georges River Kurnall and the like. I believe practical safe cycle ways are a key component of our cities transport infrastructure.
    When I was Mayor I urged the state government to include in the South East Light rail corridor a dedicated cycleway to provide safe access to the city for cyclists – similar to what was proposed for the Inner West Light Rail GreenWay. It is a tragedy that this has not happened given the light rail corridor presents a one in a lifetime opportunity to include a dedicated route to the city for Bikes. I will continue to argue for this. Cycling has to bee recognised as an integral part of pubic transport solutions.
• D – Greens – Murray Matson (full response)
  • The Randwick Council bike plan is a list of bike path construction priorities. But I acknowledge that this plan is over 10 years old.  If elected I will seek to work with BikEast to achieve where possible the implementation of these key elements of the local bike route network and the updating of the Randwick Council bike plan. This might best be achieved by the setting up of Randwick Council Bike Path Committee consisting of community reps, Council transport staff and interested Councillors. I welcome any approaches from BikeEast on this idea.  “Regional Cycle Strategy”.  If elected I will seek to work with BikEast and to approach Waverley Council, the City of Sydney and the newly created Bayside Council to achieve progress on these key projects.  I support in principle the Bicycle NSW Safe-Street Neighbourhood plan.  The Randwick-Botany Greens 2017 Council election policies include: “Make Randwick a Bike Friendly Council. Create a system of off-road or separated bike paths that integrate with neighbouring Councils and public transport systems. Prioritize a major bike path down the Anzac Parade median strip south of Kingsford.

Councillor candidates – North Ward

• D – Labor – Kathy Neilson
  • Thanks for your email and all your hard work for cyclists.
    Just want to let you know that I am fully supportive of your stated aims in the letter to candidates and I believe I have supported all the initiatives that have come to Council regarding strategies to support bike riding. I am also very aware of the need to improve safer pedestrian travel throughout the city of Randwick. It is very frustrating that often our improvements take quite a long time (far too long) to come into fruition.  I have been Chair of the Access Committee for the last 5 years and have found it a very good Committee that has advocated strongly for improved access throughout the city. I look forward if re-elected to continue to push for safer roads and bike paths for our bike riders and safer footpaths and safer crossings for pedestrians particularly for people in wheelchairs or with walking frames and also for prams and slower moving people and of course children.
• D – Labor – Philip Booth
  • I fully support positive responses to all 5 survey questions. I have long advocated, in various sustainability and urban planning forums, the urgent need for a strategically integrated network of safe bikeways that link schools, parks, beaches, universities and other public venues.  As a bike rider concerned for the safety of my young sons wherever we go riding, I have skin in this issue!  Furthermore, I would like to initiate a new State and local Govt policy that commits 1$ for every $1000 spent on roads, to be earmarked for the bikeways network.
• E – Independent – Stuart Khan (facebook post, facebook post)
  • Commitments for 2 pieces of active travel bicycle infrastructure:  1) A dedicated, safe cycling corridor from Centennial Park -> Belmore Road -> High Cross Park light rail terminus -> Coogee Beach.  2) A protected cycleway for Belmore Road, Randwick: free up the traffic flow by removing all parallel parking on the street. Convert the two outside lanes to European-style segregated bicycle lanes (with openings only for bus stops and crossings). Belmore Road would thus form a key component of a safe bicycle connection between Centennial Park and the new light rail terminus at the top of Coogee Bay Road.

Councillor candidates – South Ward

Councillor candidates – West Ward

• A – Greens – Philipa Veitch (full response)
  • The Greens have always supported the implementation of cycling infrastructure and bike friendly policies on a State and Local Government level, and I am committed to this as a Greens candidate. If elected I would be looking to work with BIKEast and other community members and councillors to improve cycling amenity in Randwick.  Safety issues have been identified as one of the main deterrents to cycling, and as such I would very much like to see a Safe-Streets Neighbourhood approach endorsed by council.  Congested roads and a seeming prevalence of drivers who are happy to express their impatience with cyclists means many parents are understandably concerned about allowing their children to walk and cycle to school. If elected I would seek to work with BIKEast and other stakeholders to develop safe cycling and pedestrian solutions for Randwick residents.
• C – Liberal – Harry Stavrinos (full response)
  • After having served on council for the last 5 years I’m proud to say that I brought forward a number of motions which were focused on encouraging our residents to ride in our City. I asked for a bicycle hiring scheme to be implemented, which has now come to fruition and I asked that Bicycle racks be incorporated into our town centres so that residents have somewhere to safely lock up their bikes.  I’m an advocate of any strategy that could reduce congestion and parking issues on our roads as long as it doesn’t take away from the amenity of residents and motorists. I have always been a supporter of better public transport and innovative ways of getting around our City.  Of course I support strategies which encourage children to ride and walk. With childhood obesity becoming an increasing problem in our technological driven society, I feel that’s it’s very important that our children be encouraged to undertake any sort of physical activity which encourages them to undertake exercise.
• D – Independent – Andrew Roydhouse (full response)
  •  I have been a cyclist since aged 10 and at the peak I was riding over 14,000km a year.    I am a TfNSW CSELR Community Rep (elected by residents) the Community Reference Group and at the 2nd meeting I raised my concerns over how cyclists were going to be treated during and after the project.  With the narrowing of road lanes (in some areas to less than the national standard) bike safety in the Eastern suburbs will be deteriorating.  Coupled with the elimination of all bus lanes along Anzac Parade the outlook for cyclists is poor at best.   Coupled with the fact that the CSELR will cut public passenger capacity between Kingsford/Randwick and Central/Circular Quay by over 10,000 passengers an hour in the am morning peak – it is going to force thousands of additional cars onto the roads.  In addition the elimination of 80% of right hand turns in both directions is forcing already a significant increase in high-speed rat running by vehicles transiting the area.  Similarly more traffic has been forced into the very streets designated future cycleways creating more conflict rather than safer streets.  The platform that underlies SaveRandwick, which I started in 2011, is that we are not against development.  What we are against is over-development.  Our stance is that there should be no further increase in density approved in Randwick until ALL infrastructure is brought up to the levels required to cope with the current population.  That covers everything from schools, sewerage, storm water, bike ways/paths, public transport, day care facilities, health facilities etc.   One are of concern, is the width of the road lanes.  Whilst I have been lucky and not car doored – I have seen too many cyclist fall victim to this.  With the narrowing of road lanes due to the CSELR and RCC’s attempts at offsetting some of the car parking losses by spreading nose-to-tail parking into many side streets – the safety of cyclists has been diminished.
• Independent – Yianni Zinonos
  • Thanks for getting in touch.
    Yes I support all your proposals and ideas.
    I believe in more should be done to encourage bicycle and pedestrians
    Travelling, and less pollution and congestion.