What's the point of Nine Ways?

Nine Ways roundabout from previous post

Preferred option

Bus services from Bunnerong Road currently have a privileged entry lane to Anzac Parade and a stop on the northern side of the roundabout that does not obstruct general traffic movements along Anzac Parade (blue line). Buses from Anzac Parade south also access the non obstructive bus stop. I will not insult your intelligence by reproducing the designs for the Kingsford terminus of the tram tracks heroically rejected by Transport for NSW (Chapter 4.4.3 of the EIS). The design for the Kingsford terminus chosen by TfNSW for the EIS obliterates all of the above without explanation and for no discernible reason.

Indicative plan Kingsford stop

Transport for NSW is simply inflicting as much damage as it can on the public bus services it has a statutory obligation to administer.

As in the design for the Randwick terminus the only consideration in selecting the design for the terminus was to try and maximize transfers from the public buses to the privately-operated cattle cars. As in the Randwick terminus there are separate platforms for the AM and PM peaks but unfortunately they are on different levels so pedestrian crossings between the platforms, across the bus lanes, are via ramps.

The bus lanes and tram tracks crisscross one another to the south of the platforms in order to provide "cross the platform" transfers of passengers which TfNSW considers essential to get passengers to switch from public buses to private cattle cars. Then to the north, the bus lanes and tram tracks merge into a single track, like a syringe. The text of the EIS announces blithely: "Option 1 would include shared running of light rail and buses between the Nine Ways intersection and Meeks Street". Buses and trams (which we are told can not stop) will be playing chicken in the heart of the Kingsford retail centre!

We turn frantically to Chapter 5 - Part B for Figure 5.44 Indicative plan - Kingsford stop for clarification. You guessed it, the diagram has been cropped.

To get further clarification one must look further afield to the last tram stop in Anzac Parade south of the Nine Ways intersection. This is a long post - I will split it into two.