Transport
for NSW (TfNSW) have to date have been treating its projects around Redfern
Station separately from each other rather than as a whole. As a result the
community has struggled to get connectivity issues addressed when the focus has
just been just about the Southern rail concourse; the building over the Eastern
Suburbs platforms 11 & 12 or; North Eveleigh. The community option (5) for
the Southern Concourse was an attempt to squeeze the broader connectivity issue
into a TfNSW focused approach for one part of the precinct.
To
rezone the area, TfNSW has received State Significant Precinct study
requirements. These say that TfNSW must produce explore connectivity including
producing “a Movement and Access Plan
setting out the proposed movement corridors, access and connectivity network
throughout the precinct (and beyond), the types of movements to be captured
through the precinct (i.e. walking, cycling, vehicles, machinery, employees etc.
during a 24-hour period)”.
Below
REDWatch has identified three key issues for community discussion. REDWatch is
holding a Transport Connectivity Workshop on Thursday 22 April 2021 at 6pm at
the Factory Community Centre, 67 Raglan Street Waterloo to discuss such issues.
1.
Rail Bus Interchange
How
should people moving to or from the bus stop in Regent Street best move to
Redfern Station? Can there be an interchange in Gibbons Street, how does that
deal with buses only heading South on Regent Street including to the new
Waterloo Metro and beyond?
The proposed 14 storey
building at Redfern Station above the Eastern Suburbs rail line (Platform 11
and 12) provides the opportunity to get the connectivity flow right, not only
for the required upgrade for access to platforms 11 and 12 BUT also commuter/pedestrian
connectivity access to Gibbons Street. This project must also deal with bus
rail interchange issues either on the site, adjacent to it or with the broader
connections to Regent Street.
As part of this, the building
should provide enough public pedestrian space at its southern perimeter (Marian
and Gibbons Street) for commuters to access pedestrian flow and bus
connectivity.
There are three
possibilities that need consideration for improved bus rail connections:
- A designated and designed bus interchange along Gibbons
Street at the southern end of the Station.
One design concept is to provide an underground bus terminal with Marion
Street Park redesigned to sit on top of the terminal. It could also sit under the
new 14-storey building. This terminal would provide an all-weather interchange
for northbound buses and a pick up terminal for southbound passengers. It will
take the pressure off the buses to start routes on Regent Street and ease the
commuter connectivity issues across busy Gibbons and Regent Street. Southbound
buses using Redfern Street would need to loop for a comprehensive solution. - Integrating an elevated footbridge from Marian park and the
Southern Concourse exit across Gibbons Street extending right through Marian
Street and over Regent Street to the Regent Street bus stop. - A series of new coordinated pedestrian crossings on Gibbons
and Regent Street in line with Marian Street so that commuters can move
directly to and from the station and the Regent Street bus-stop without
detouring a block up and back to use the existing crossings. A mixed
pedestrian/traffic landscaped street through the Marian Street desire line
could accompany this.
2.
Pedestrian access over the new Redfern
Station Southern Concourse
TfNSW
has approval to build the bridge but how it operates is still open for
discussion. TfNSW is looking at the possibility the bridge will be closed when
trains are not running. Should this concourse have barriers and/or tap on tap
off, or should the Concourse be freely accessible and ‘ungated’ with tap on tap
off at platform entrances? What is best for moving bikes and prams? Can transit
police fine people for just using the concourse if they have not tapped on and will
people be charged a maximum fare if the forget to tap off for just using the
concourse?
TfNSW
with the proposed developments at North Eveleigh Precinct and the 14 storey tower
above the Eastern Suburbs line has reawakened (as forewarned by the local
community through Option 5) the ‘desire line’ of pedestrians to cross the
railway tracks at the southern end of the station.
In
its submission to the TFNSW August 2019 public consultation the community
group, Walk Sydney stated:
No Payment Gates: The bridge should not be controlled by payment gates, pedestrians crossing
the tracks should not need an Opal or equivalent to cross the bridge. Many
crossings throughout the Sydney Trains system are open to the public, and we do
not see why the residents and workers of Alexandria and Darlington should be
discriminated against. Payment pillars, rather than gates, are even now used at
Redfern at the current Australia Technology Park (South Eveleigh) entrance and
the northwest entrance on Lawson Street. The use of the “criminals” bogeyman (that
criminals will be able to use the bridge) by TfNSW staff (presenting to Alexandria
Residents (ARAG) August 14, 2019), presumably quoting police, is especially
problematic and an attempt to breed fear in the community. Rest assured that
criminals can get smartcards too, even if they steal them.
3. Connecting
pedestrian concourse bridge from South to North Eveleigh
Precincts
Breaking
the barrier that the railway line creates between Alexandria and Darlington. In
the Eveleigh railway workshop days there were at least three ways of moving
across the railway line. What should the community be seeking from the North
Eveleigh redevelopment to address that divide?
Discussion and planning for
a second concourse crossing has been around since the initial Redfern Waterloo
Authority master plan. An existing subway tunnel goes most of the way across
the rail corridor. The location of an aerial connecting concourse would
probably be to the west of the Locomotive Workshops to
the northern eastern end of Carriageworks or from east of the Locomotive
Workshops to the fan of tracks area. Planning concerns are around the width of
the railway tracks towards Carriageworks and the ramps to access a bridge if
the bridge is in the optimum position to dissect the railway barrier between
Alexandria and Darlington.
There is a need to acknowledge
and prepare for the anticipated use of the Waterloo Metro Station as a stop to
access South Eveleigh Precinct, North Eveleigh precinct, Sydney University and
Redfern Station. A North – South
Eveleigh connection will probably best suit the Waterloo Metro Sydney
University desire line. Otherwise, they will use the Southern Station Concourse
along Rosehill Street.
Commuter and pedestrian
flow from Waterloo Metro will have to cross Raglan or Henderson Streets as well
as the twin arterial roads of Regent and Wyndham / Gibbons Street. The desire
line would seem to be via the intersection at Botany and Henderson Road or to
cross Botany before Boundary Street. It may be necessary to move the pedestrian
lights currently north of Boundary Street to south of this street. Another
desire line would be diagonally across Daniel Dawson Reserve using Chapel Lane.
Lights at Boundary and Gibbons would also need to be changed to better
facilitate movement to Rosehill Street for the Redfern Station Southern
Concourse or to cross Boundary to South Eveleigh for an alternative rail
corridor crossing.
An alternative desire line
to the west of South Eveleigh Waterloo Metro Station is down Henderson Road and
across South Eveleigh’s Vice Chancellors Oval.
4. Other Connectivity Issues
REDWatch has only
highlighted three key issues, what have we missed what else should also be
considered by TfNSW and REDWatch that would address community connectivity
concerns?
Please
let us know by coming to the Workshop on 22 April or by emailing mail@redwatch.org.au.
For more information see the North Eveleigh & Redfern Station tabs on www.redwatch.org.au