New South Wales’ state transport agency recently announced that plans for a major road upgrade have been scaled back after concerns from residents and action committees were heard.
Plans were announced more than two years ago to create a 3.2km road corridor from Alexandria to Moore Park. Had the tentative plans gone ahead, several properties, trees and car parking spaces would have been lost in order to create extra lanes and wider intersections that formed the core of the plan.
The Alexandria Resident’s Action Group (ARAG) launched a campaign called Act4Alexandria, which encouraged residents to make their concerns known to the premier and members of parliament. The campaign’s website provided resources for residents to send letters and emails to the decision makers, as well as encouraging broad communication amongst the community. Campaigns such as this often use poster printing services to help get their messages across to the authorities.
The combined voices of action groups such as ARAG and the City of Sydney, the local government authority responsible for the city centre and surrounding suburbs, were instrumental in forcing the state agency to reassess their plans. Speaking on behalf of Transport for NSW, Rodd Staples declared that the conversation around the transport needs of Sydney businesses and residents “has been really beneficial”.
Sydney lord mayor, Clover Moore, praised the state department for listening to the voices of residents, and expressed hope that future plans will place more emphasis on considering the needs of pedestrians and cyclists, as well as preserving parkland spaces.
