On yer bike Mike

In the Technical Papers 5.5.3.4 "20021 with light rail scenario" Booz & Company waffled on about traffic pattern changes in the wider network: "These changes can be summarised as follows:

• Capacity reduction due to Light Rail along Devonshire Street and the Railway Square precinct is likely to see increased traffic filtering through Surry Hills via Campbell Street, Hunt Street and Goulburn Street."

The response of the Government to this is extraordinary. A bus stop is being established in the middle of Campbell Street forcing buses to block traffic flows when picking up passengers!

Campbell Street bus stop

It was this proposal that alerted me that there was something rotten in the state of New South Wales when it was released a few days before the Sydney's Light Rail Future brochure - you can read my submission here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-qlvU_c829ZPcsLIQS-9muU3KYBXavQoQrHZR9_ZIm0/edit

My objections have been totally ignored and the project has gone ahead. The left-turn lane is redundant as I pointed out in my submission and could have been used to give buses priority access to the right turn lane into Crown Street, bypassing the queues of vehicles that turn into Riley Street. The North Shore rump of the Liberal Party has decided otherwise without explanation.

If the tram tracks go along Devonshire Street, Riley Street will be blocked off at both ends according to the lane arrows on the diagrams. As I pointed out, Riley Street is the only street that give access to the road grid west of Crown Street.

The only explanations for the decision of the Baird government to proceed with this project are:

1. There has been feedback from the Assessors about the flaws in the light rail project and the self appointed Minister for Infrastructure is reluctant to proceed.
2. Baird has decided his political future is in being seen to be even nastier than his Federal North Shore colleagues.

"I resent that"

Harcher with skinhead (his son)

 The expensive legal teams engaged by politicians called before the ICAC inquiries advise them to reply "I do not recall" rather than make denials which could lead to charges of lying to the inquiry - Harcher used this response 35 times in giving testimony on Monday. But a different response was required when asked if he had pocketed $4000 from a cheque made out to the Liberal Party that had been laundered through his old law firms trust account as had been alleged by an employee in sworn testimony. Hence the new response "I resent that". More will be revealed when the inquiry resumes in August.

Baird would be taking a huge electoral gamble to proceed with a project that benefits no-one and inflicts irrecoverable damage on residents south of the Harbour.