Inner West Council mayor Darcy Byrne is calling on the federal government to open an inquiry into the Rozelle Interchange and Westconnex to find out if anybody knew about the design of the controversial piece of infrastructure.
“One week since the return of schools and peak traffic, it’s now clear that the traffic chaos at the Rozelle Interchange is permanent and caused by a defective design,” Byrne says.
“For years we warned that this would be a tunnel to a traffic jam and it’s now obvious to all that we were right.
“While Transport for NSW (TfNSW) must do more to mitigate the unacceptable impacts of the Rozelle Interchange, everyone can see that the problem is structural and commuters are stuck with a piece of motorway infrastructure that makes traffic worse, not better.”
Byrne says that the investigation should include the role that former government ministers played in the interchange’s approval along with the influence that Transurban has had over traffic flows around WestConnex.
“It’s time for everyone to admit that this Interchange is one of the most costly and disruptive mistakes in the history of Sydney’s motorway network and those responsible must be held to account,” Byrne says.
Byrne says that TfNSW and Transurban must also do more now to help relieve congestion on Victoria Road.
“The release of daily travel time data is needed to show what mitigations are working, but that information is still being held back from the public,” Byrne says.
“Installing clear signage directing drivers to the free tunnel between the Iron Cove and ANZAC Bridges should have happened months ago.
“Consideration of moving the bus lane on Victoria Road to the kerbside lane should also have happened before now.”