Issue No. 60
To the residents of Willoughby South:
Welcome to this edition of The 272 which has been supported by the generous sponsorship of La Botte Italian Restaurant (608 Willoughby Road, Willoughby 2068).
The aim of The 272 is to build community spirit in the Willoughby South area, so readers are invited to comment below on any issue pertaining to our community.*
You can contact the Willoughby South Progress Association at:
Email: hello@willoughbysouthpa.org.au
Editor: Tony Tenney
*The views and opinions of individual contributors are not necessarily those of the WSPA.
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Traffic and the Western Freeway Upgrade and Western Harbour Tunnel
By Kristina Dodds
Many of you would have seen the extensive preliminary works being carried out for the Warringah Freeway Upgrade (WFU) and the Western Harbour Tunnel (WHT) in Cammeray and North Sydney. A total of 1500 mature trees have been cleared from the Warringah Freeway corridor and from Cammeray Park/Golf Course. This is to make way for the upgrade, tunnel infrastructure and the twin unfiltered exhaust stacks near Earnest Street.
But what are the traffic implications for Willoughby and in particular Willoughby Road with the construction of the WFU and WHT over five years? And what are the implications in the long term after the projects have been completed? It is a little hard to find the answers to traffic flows, projected delays on key intersections, and the entry and exit points for the WFU. So far material provided is confusing and contradictory. As the previous Mayor of Willoughby stated at the Parliamentary Inquiry into the projects in 2021 – there are no gains for the residents in Willoughby. The WHT and Beaches Link will lead to increased traffic, congestion and rat-running through local streets.
So the Federation of Willoughby Progress Associations (FWPA) has organised a meeting with Transport for NSW to ask questions and get further clarity. The FWPA is made up of seven resident groups across Willoughby, including our own – Willoughby South. The FWPA is advocating for the tunnel projects to be reassessed so that transport infrastructure in Willoughby, North Sydney and the Northern Beaches is fit for purpose, reduces traffic congestion and gets people to where they need to go.
FWPA is essentially asking for a whole-of-network review. This could include a redesign, mitigations, and comprehensive assessment of public transport alternatives. With such a significant infrastructure spend the government needs to get it right.
Delegates from the Willoughby South Progress Association will ask questions at the February meeting, such as the predicted impact on arterial roads in Willoughby that were not modelled in the supplied intersection analysis, the predicted change in traffic flow due to rat running across Willoughby to access very limited entry points to the new tunnels i.e. new WHT via Willoughby Rd, and the estimated increase in traffic on Willoughby Road. What are the contingency plans covering parking restrictions/clearway establishment?
We’ll let you know the outcome of this meeting in our next edition, or why not come to our next Progress Association meeting to find out more and to give your input.
Date: Tuesday, 7th March 2023
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Naremburn Community Centre, Central Street Naremburn
The WHT and Beaches Link will lead to increased traffic, congestion and rat-running through local streets – there are no gains for Willoughby residents.
What’s in a street name?
Artarmon Road, 1888
Only the section from the east side of Sydney Street to Willoughby Road is within the suburb of Willoughby. The southern side bordered several small grants including that of J S Ryan. In time several properties in the surrounding area were owned by the Ryans. Prior to 1953, it was called Ryan Street (later Ryans Road) after the Ryan Estate and the prominence of Ryans in the locality.
The Willoughby end of this road has played an important part in the Municipality’s history. R H Foster’s dairy, located on its southern side, once extended across Ryans and Artarmon Roads, blocking road access to Artarmon. A large quarry operated at the corner of Artarmon Road and Willoughby Roads. After the quarry ceased operations the site was used for a blacksmithing business, then a bus depot for the White Transit Company, followed by a factory manufacturing Silent Knight refrigerators. Today, ‘Castle Vale’ residential units occupy the site.
Prior to the late 1940s, the road sloped more steeply, in fact dangerously, from Willoughby Road. Periodic regrading has decreased the grade of the slope.
Bus Update
By Ken Wilson
Multiple new 120 timetables have been issued over the Christmas period with bus services appearing and then disappearing like clouds in the sky. The net result is that from 27 January we will have a record low 22 peak-hour 120 services down Willoughby Road and via the Freeway and departing from Laurel Street between 7.00am and 9.00am. This is down one from the 23 mentioned in the last report and 33 at the beginning of 2020.
Our local state member, Tim James, has been getting involved and on 20 January claimed on his Facebook page that two new 120 services starting at North Willoughby would be introduced on January 27. Alas, a check of the timetable shows that on that day no new 120s were introduced and instead four peak-hour and two off-peak morning services will be cancelled. Again, Transport for NSW position remains at odds with the real world for some reason.
It should be recognised that local member Tim James has secured seven weekday round trips from Chatswood to the entrance of Royal North Shore Hospital in the form of a new route 113. Services run hourly between 9am and 3.00pm. While this is way less than that offered by the discontinued 143 service, it is better than nothing.
On 15 December, the government responded to the Bus Privatisation Inquiry with a refusal to consider the major recommendation that bus services for the inner Sydney areas should revert to public hands as these services represent some 75% of Sydney’s bus services. The government went on to claim that improved customer outcomes were being delivered and that the handing over of our area (Willoughby and Ryde depots) to Busways would result in $75 million in savings to the taxpayer over the eight years of the contract. It would be interesting to know the value of that contract. Bus companies are claiming they are, at times, delivering savings of 20% to 55% on operating costs to the taxpayer. However, it is hard to imagine that the Busways contract would be achieving anywhere near that amount locally, given the size of the Willoughby Depot operation.
As well as the loss of essential peak-hour services to the CBD, commuters continue to mourn the cancellation of routes such as the 257 to Balmoral and 340 to Bondi. In cancelling these routes we were told that travel was still possible by changing buses and that this isn’t unusual. However, will people be able to find the extra 45 minutes in their Saturday to travel to and from a 40 minute game of netball or will they simply drive and add to the transport and parking chaos around the Leisure Centre? You would be forgiven for thinking TfNSW think they are a courier company delivering packages rather than human beings and hence see no issue with routinely saving money by dropping passengers at bus interchanges to await the next pick up.
Part of the problem appears to be the incentives offered to the bus companies. These are thought to be directed away from increasing patronage and towards increasing revenue, thus growing the return to the government. So, services that are frequented by school children and pension card holders are in decline and while it makes sense to increase peak-hour services, the fixed costs in terms of additional hardware (buses) and their storage are not easily offset over just a couple of hours of operation on a week day. There is a discussion about this in the privatisation inquiry report where the head of BusNSW points out that these details are actually a state secret. Thus, as details of the eight-year Busways contract are not available to the public, so we can never be sure what is really going on.
Out of pure frustration with all of the above and the notion that the old 272 peak-hour service was a bit of a government money spinner, in that it made multiple peak hour trips, I’ve organised a one-off trial of a pirate 272 bus service. At time of writing, I have collected $850 via a GoFundMe appeal and have handed it over to a local bus charter company who will carry ticketed (free) passengers from just outside the Willoughby Leisure Centre to the CBD. I’m hoping this will provoke a better response from the government, including plans to cater for the needs of our rapidly growing population, particularly along Willoughby Road where many new units do not have car parking. By the time you read this the 8.00am pirate service on February 1 will have run and we will have a good idea about what to do next.
Ken Wilson,
President, Willoughby South Progress Association.
Local member, Tim James, secured seven weekday round trips from Chatswood to Royal North Shore Hospital in the form of a new route 113.
Pacific Highway Shared Path
By MaryAnn Irvin
The 3.5km shared user path (SUP) from Mowbray Road to St Leonards via the Pacific Highway is now open. This SUP connects to the Artarmon industrial area, Royal North Shore Hospital precinct and St Leonards Strategic Centre. It will also link with the adjacent Lower North Shore Council’s bicycle networks – making walking and cycling a healthy lifestyle and safer option for people who choose to ride to access local schools, train stations, local centres, parks, businesses or for work. These connections align with the NSW Government’s bike network plans for Lower North Shore areas.
This SUP has been on Willoughby Council’s radar for almost ten years. Council finally approved the project for construction on 18 October 2021 and construction started in 2022 with funding through Willoughby Council, the State Government and property developers.
Although the path is open for use, it is not yet finished. Transport for NSW (TfNSW) is going to have bicycle lanterns added to traffic lights at intersections and they still need to upgrade all signalised intersections. It is important to be very careful at these intersections since a couple of them appear to be quite unsafe. The crossing at Westbourne Street needs to be finished. As it is now, a bike travelling North will ride over the kerb if the rider isn’t careful. At the intersection just South of 7-Eleven the SUP is dangerously narrow with weeds and vegetation constricting the path. This should all be done in 2023.
It is often difficult to provide a cycleway in an area that is already built-up. In this case there are many driveways to negotiate. A couple of the bus shelters have been moved to allow ample room for cyclists and pedestrians to use the area safely. However, in a couple of cases the width of the path is reduced to less than a metre to allow for the large advertising panels in the bus shelters that are important contributors to Council funds. There are also a couple of bollards that are placed mid-path. Some cyclists are encouraging Council to have these brightly painted if they can’t be removed.
While several trees had to be removed for the construction, there have been an additional 45 trees planted and native plants have been added to the verge. While the planting of native species is to be applauded, Council does not appear to have the funds available for maintenance, since most of the verges are now infested by weeds and some of the trees have died.
Willoughby City Council has approved and is awaiting funding for an additional cycling and pedestrian route between Chatswood and St. Leonards that will run parallel to the railway line through the Artarmon village. This will primarily be a separate bike path, with much less conflict with pedestrians, driveways and major intersections.
A message from Mayor Tanya Taylor
I hope all members of the Willoughby South Progress Association had an enjoyable break over the Christmas New Year period. Below are a few updates on matters happening in the Willoughby South area and around the Willoughby LGA.
As Willoughby South Progress Association members may have noticed, construction work is now underway on the Willoughby Leisure Centre upgrade, with construction site fencing in place and a building contractor based on site.
The Council selected Belmadar to undertake the works, following a robust procurement process. Belmadar is a Naremburn-based construction company with extensive experience building community and public social infrastructure projects.
The Centre’s redevelopment is a once-in-a-generation project that will deliver three new pools, an upgraded multi-sport court hall, enhanced communal areas and improved accessibility and sustainability outcomes. The upgrade has been supported by a $5m grant from the NSW Government’s Multi-Sport Community Facility Fund, with all other funding coming from Council, including from developer contributions.
I know there has been some social media commentary about tree removal at the site. To allow us to begin construction, we’ve unfortunately had to remove 24 trees. This issue was closely examined during the upgrade’s planning approval, with the removed trees not considered significant.
In their place, we are planning a new green space, with 72 trees native to our area, three times as many trees as we’ll be removing. Half of the new trees will be capable of attaining a minimum height of 15m at maturity. The removed trees will be reused as mulch in local council parks and other spaces.
For more information on the construction works, please visit: https://www.haveyoursaywilloughby.com.au/willoughby-leisure-centre-pool-upgrade
Below are some other updates which may be of interest:
- At its last meeting of 2022, the Council approved its comprehensive new LEP, following extensive community engagement in 2022. We are expecting to soon submit this LEP for further review to the Department of Planning and Environment, with the expectation that it will be made in the second half of 2023
- You may have heard that the Council has received a $500,000 NSW Government grant for a street greening, cooling and calming project in the Willoughby South area. We are currently preparing a communication and engagement plan in relation to this initiative, and will release more details soon.
- In December, I joined Willoughby MP Tim James to launch a new 3.5km off-road Pacific Highway shared path running between Chatswood and St Leonards. This path is a clever re-purposing of what is currently a busy traffic thoroughfare into an active transport corridor, allowing people to travel to their place of work, lifestyle destinations or homes without needing to jump into their car.
Council has received a $500,000 grant for a street greening, cooling, and calming project in the Willoughby South area.
Councillor Hugh Eriksson
- With further continued development occurring in our area I will be focusing on resident parking improvements for 2023.
- Ensuring appropriate development on the current/old squash court site next to the Porsche dealership.
- Working closely with Council staff on the Leisure Centre upgrade to ensure it is on time and to budget.
- Focusing on road maintenance throughout 2023 after past two years of weather damage.
Good news: Advisory Committees reinstated
Spearheaded in the community by Clr Greco and in the Council chamber by Cr Moratelli, the community got its wish to have Advisory Committees reinstated.
For years now, the Chief Executive (the ‘CE’ formerly known as the General Manager) has authorised a series of reports aimed at reducing the number of what are known as Advisory Committees.
Traditionally at Willoughby as elsewhere, Councils have appointed interested citizens to sit with Council officers on a regular basis to review and advise on issues of interest and concern.
Subjects such as bushland, heritage, transport and the arts as well as specific facilities have all featured over time. The previous Council wrestled with this officer-led campaign but in the end and in a time-honoured tradition, they kicked the can on to the current Council.
Controversy surrounds the manner in which the issue was managed by the current Council as all discussion appears to have occurred within its regular ‘in confidence’ meetings throughout 2022.
The positive outcome is that we are to have six ‘Advisorys’:
- Bushland and natural heritage
- Built and cultural heritage
- Sustainability
- Access
- Active transport
- Bicentennial and Flat Rock Reserve.
Councils appoint interested citizens to sit with Council officers on a regular basis to review and advise on issues of interest and concern.
Upcoming Events
State Election Candidate Forum
There is a state election being held on Saturday, 25 March (less than two months away).
Voting is compulsory in NSW.
If you’d like to learn a little more about each candidate in Willoughby, then you are invited to attend a Candidate Forum on Tuesday, 21 February 2023 via Zoom from 7:00pm to 8:30pm.
The forum is being run by our very own Willoughby Environmental Protection Association (WEPA) in partnership with the Nature Conservation Council NSW. The forum will focus on environment and climate issues with a Willoughby focus and there will be an opportunity for candidates to answer questions from the floor.
Click here to register your attendance and receive your Zoom link.
By Kristina Dodds.
Bush Poetry and Music
Well, at last after four years the Bush Poetry and Music event at the Henry Lawson cave is back! We managed to bring the old team back together again along with singer Jill Brown to enhance the Bush Music beautifully.
Also tea, coffee and damper is still freely available at interval. So, we hope to see you at the Cave on Sunday the 26th February, 4:30 – 7:00pm.
By Don Swonnell.
Next General Meeting
Date: 7th March
Time: 7:30
Location: Naremburn Community Centre, Central Street, Naremburn
Who: All are welcome
Willoughby South Progress Association has noted that local MP, Sarah Griffin is a resident of our catchment area and, as this is unusual, your Committee has decided to invite her to our next meeting to find out more about her – especially about her experience of living in our patch!
Other candidates for the upcoming state election have also been invited.
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Date: Tuesday, 7 March
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Naremburn Community Centre
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