Representative
for the Member for Balmain
On-street bike parking
The Representative for the Member for Balmain asked there was a map made
available to the public about where these locations have already been
installed? And ideally also where future locations are being planned? We've had
some feedback from residents that they would like more transparency into the
process, and also the potential to suggest locations.
For example, local active transport advocates in the suburb of Balmain were able
to work together with Inner West Council and share bike operators to suggest
locations based on hyper-local knowledge, and there has been a noticeable
reduction in complaints about share bikes in the area as a result, compared to
other suburbs.
City staff have advised that information
regarding on-street bike parking locations is publicly available via the
following link:
Share Bike Parking Areas
– City of Sydney
City staff have also advised that residents
can submit suggestions for new share-bike parking locations by emailing onstreetbikeparking@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
Glebe - Kelly/Wattle - Signal Phasing
The Representative for the Member for
Balmain requested an update about the changes to signal timings at this
location? This was brought up a few months ago due to concerns with waiting bike
riders on Wattle St blocking the entrance of the residential building car park;
and thus, causing congestion along Wattle while any residents were waiting
there to turn into the car park. There was a suggestion that the signal phasing
could be adjusted to clear bike riders out of this holding spot more
frequently.
Additionally, there are still double,
conflicting cyclist signals at this location. Can removal of one of these
signals be brought forward? This is causing confusion with bike riders and
conflicts between cyclists and pedestrians.
TfNSW advised they will review the
intersection arrangement in relation to the concerns raised and determine
whether any further measures may be appropriate. Should any works be proposed
following the review, TfNSW will inform the community.
In the meantime, the current arrangement
requires vehicles turning into or out of the driveway to give way to cyclists
waiting at the intersection stop line before proceeding.
Pedestrian Representative
Traffic Fatalities / 30 km/h Speed Limits
The Pedestrian Representative requested an update from TfNSW on the
implementation of 30 km/h speed limits.
TfNSW advised that it is currently reviewing the request for speed limit
reductions within the City of Sydney.
Transport understands the community’s concern about recent pedestrian
fatalities and is committed to improving road safety.
Across the state, we are working with councils to expand lower-speed environments
where appropriate and are continuing to assess requests for speed limit
changes.
Given the number and complexity of requests being received across NSW,
these assessments take time to work through and require careful consideration.
Shared Bikes Impeding footpath – Broadway and Central Station
The Pedestrian Representative raised concerns about the number of shared
bicycles obstructing the footpath along Broadway between Central Station and Harris
Street. He queried whether any enforcement action could be taken against riders
or share-bike operators.
City staff advised that improperly parked share bikes should be reported
to Lime for investigation by emailing CityofSydney@li.me. This enables the
operator to assess the issue and take appropriate action.
The forum was also advised that poorly parked share
bikes is the number one issue for the Lord Mayor right now. Supporting active transport is one of our key
priorities, and share bikes play an import role. But we get more complaints
about poorly parked share bikes and clutter on the footpath than any other
issue. We recognise that keeping footpaths clear of excessive number of poorly
parked bikes is a matter of pedestrian safety.
While the NSW
Government have introduced new laws for share bikes, the regulations are not
yet fully in force. They are being implemented in a staged approach by the NSW
Government.
This month at the October
meeting of Council, the Lord Mayor will table a Lord Mayoral Minute asking
staff to develop operating rules for share bike operators in our area, in line
with what the regulations will allow councils to do.
I also wanted to add
that right now the NSW government says councils have the power to deal with
poorly parked bikes using the Public Space Unattended Properties Act. However,
Share bikes are not abandoned, they are just poorly parked. The act was designed
to deal with abandoned trolleys and abandoned cars. It requires councils to
verify that a specific bike has been unattended for 28 days. This is not
practical when dealing with share bikes. Share bikes are move frequently, and
this act is not the right tool for councils to manage them.
We also know that
there are far too many share bikes in our area, and want to be able to set an
effective cap for our area btu there are limits on what Council can do in that
respect under the legislation
The Minute will be
published at the following link late next week - Council -
Monday 26 October 2026 5.00 pm