LEICHHARDT BICYCLE USERS GROUP
City of Sydney Council has responsibility for Glebe and Forest Lodge, right up to the border with Leichhardt at Johnston's Creek. Their Bike Plan has a route along the existing path from Bicentennial Park, under The Crescent, to Taylor St, Annandale, via Johnstons Creek. They are now drawing up construction plans for major improvements (to be done in conjunction with Leichhardt Council) to the existing path, and a new path along their side of the Creek from the footbridge near Taylor St up to a crossing at Wigram Rd.
Then it would go on-road up Creek St to Upper Rd and Hereford St to get to Cross St and Pyrmont Bridge Rd. There was a similar bike route through there in the 80's that fell into disuse. The Children's Hospital site redevelopment piled tonnes of rocks in Orphans Ck and did not include bicycle access to Wigram Rd at the Sterling Circuit steps (see picture below).
After a recent inspection of the area CoS is apparently considering what LBUG has advocated for some time, improving The Crescent as the main north/south bicycle route through this area. We suggested starting with signposting a bypass of the narrow, bendy section between Johnston St and Nelson St. This route exists already, around the back of Crescent Timber, and under the rail viaduct, using Chapman Rd, but is not signed. Either that or the 60 K speed limit on The Crescent should be reduced to 40, and some parking could be removed or indented to allow a wider bike shoulder.
The proposed new CoS path near Wigram Rd is nice but largely redundant. Cyclists from the parklands near the water can always use the existing Johnston's Creek path up to the footbridge to Minogue Crescent and along this street to Wigram Rd, or branch right toTaylor St, Annandale, then use Booth Lane to Wigram Rd. Or for destinations beyond, cyclists can use Booth St and Alexandra Drive to Pyrmont Bridge Rd, on Leichhardt's East-West Route to the City via Glebe. Bridge Rd is also identified as a bike route on the CoS plan. CoS needs only to improve the narrow shoulder on the bridge over Johnston's Ck on Booth St.
Maybe it is not too late to put in a bike ramp next to the Stirling Ct steps. This would allow bike access to the foreshore parkland for the 1000 or so residents in the City Quarter development on the old Hospital site.