The Facts Of The Matter
17 April 2012
You may have heard, seen or read in some sections of the media, negative reports regarding the Bourke Road cycleway.
The facts are these:
The independent review of environmental factors surrounding the Bourke Road cycleway supported the City's work and found no significant environmental impacts.
The independent review revealed that there has been a reduction in traffic accidents on the road since the cycleway was completed. Data from Roads and Maritime Services (formerly the RTA) shows that in the five years prior to the cycleway opening in March 2010, total Bourke Road crashes averaged 21 per year. In the past 12 months – since the cycleway opened - that figure has fallen to just six.
It also stated the loss of on-street parking, at less than six per cent of the overall 4,488 parking spaces available in the precinct, was “not significant” as the area was mainly industrial, with most businesses having off-street parking for staff and visitors.
Independent monthly bike counts show continued increase in the numbers of riders using the cycleway. In January 2012 bike counts conducted during the morning and afternoon peak periods from 6am-9am and 4pm-7pm, counted 321 cyclists at the intersection of Bourke Rd and Bowden Street, a 42 per cent increase since December 2010.
The review focused on the Bourke Rd cycleway not the Bourke St cycleway. One of the recommendations was to link the two - something the City is keen to do.
Other recommendations included establishing more shared paths and cycleway.
This review, which included submissions from the public, is the third time the City has consulted the community about the Bourke Road cycleway.
It will be placed on public exhibition for 28 days from Monday to allow the community to provide further feedback. Councillors will then decide which of the report’s recommendations are implemented, but only after community feedback has been considered.
The Bourke Road separated cycleway, which runs for 3kms along sections of Bourke Road, Mandible and Bowden Streets, was completed in March 2010. It will eventually form part of a larger connection from southern Alexandria to Green Square and from Green Square to Sydney Airport.
6 March 2012
You may have heard, seen or read in some sections of the media, a report which stated that the City of Sydney wants to force cars out of central Sydney.
The facts are these:
Congestion costs businesses and residents across Sydney $3.7 billion a year. This cost is expected to nearly double to $7.8 billion by 2020 if we do nothing.
The City of Sydney has released a comprehensive study – Connecting our City; Transport Strategies and Actions – which outlines our suggested approach to the demands of our growing population and traffic congestion that is already crippling our city.
In the City of Sydney Local Government Area alone, the population is expected to rise by 100,000 people to 280,000 by 2036 – that’s a 60 per cent increase.
We are having to accommodate a proposed 30 per cent jump in buses arriving in the city centre during peak hour – an unmanageable 7,800 on average each day.
Not to mention the 50 per cent more pedestrians on our narrow footpaths. Already car use in the city has dropped due to the economic climate, and off-street parking charges have dropped by up to $9 per day in the past few weeks demonstrating that public transport and sustainable transport options are what most people want.
This is the sobering reality. Our study raises a number of crucial measures to get Sydney’s congested transport networks moving again and reinforces why Sydney needs an integrated transport network.
The City is working closely with the NSW Government to produce that much needed integrated transport system.
23 December 2011
You may have heard, seen or read in some sections of the media, a report which stated that the Bourke Road cycleway has been the site of accidents resulting in death or serious injury.
The facts are these:
No reports of any accidents resulting in death or serious injury on the Bourke Road cycleway are available.
Roads and Maritime Services (formerly the RTA) statistics show that since the cycleway opened in March 2010 traffic accidents have decreased.
In the five years prior to the cycleway opening, total Bourke Road crashes averaged 21 per year. In the past 12 months – since the cycleway opened – that figure has fallen to just six.
Crash data reveals improved driver, walker and rider safety along Bourke Road, when comparing 2010 with the previous five years.
The City has been involved in land and environment court proceedings about the cycleway. As part of resolving the proceedings both parties agreed to the City engaging an independent consultant to undertake an environmental impact assessment of the cycleway.
Before this bike path was built, we consulted with the community, and it is currently undergoing an independent environmental impact assessment review.
As part of that assessment, we are also asking for public feedback on the cycleway. This week we conducted letterbox drops to properties and businesses along the cycleway and to affected community groups. Information is also accessible from our website.
People have until 6 February 2012 to provide feedback.
While similar consultations normally take place over a three-week period, this consultation has been extended to seven weeks to ensure we capture everyone's comments and feedback over the Christmas/New Year period.
Feedback will then be presented to Council along with the assessment which will go on public exhibition, allowing people another opportunity to comment.
We will take on board all comments from the public.
16 December 2011
You may have heard, seen or read in some sections of the media, a report which stated that the City of Sydney had more complaints made about it than any other council.
The facts are these:
The public made just 44 complaints about the City of Sydney between July 2010 to June 2011 – which works out at just 2.4 complaints for every 10,000 residents.
There are officially 177,920 residents in the City of Sydney, and we look after the needs of more than one million residents, workers, visitors and tourists every day.
Despite being much larger than other councils, complaints made against the City of Sydney were on a par with some of its smaller peers.
Half the complaints the City received related to parking spots and fines. This is due to the fact that there is a limited number of parking spaces in the heart of our City.
Our rangers act on motorists who flout parking rules to ensure that people have a fair chance of finding a parking spot. This is what the community and local businesses have asked us to do.
On its website, the Division of Local Government (DLG) makes clear that complaints are not “necessarily an effective indicator of the seriousness of the matters raised.”
The DLG also acknowledges that councils can be the subject of campaigns about a single issue that has caused community reaction.
Forty of the complaints made about the City were resolved by the DLG without any further action taken.
The City takes complaints from members of the public very seriously. If a complaint is found to be valid, we take all steps necessary to ensure that it doesn't happen again.
22 September 2011
You may have heard, seen or read in some sections of the media, reports which claimed that City Rangers get paid bonuses for issuing parking fines.
The facts are these:
City of Sydney rangers do not, and have never been paid a bonus based on the value of parking fines they issue each year.
The City has never imposed a quota system, nor linked bonuses to the value of fines issued.
The City provides short-term metered on-street parking spaces. Our per hour fees are generally much cheaper than those offered in off-street commercial car parking stations.
As the number of parking spaces in the city centre are limited, businesses have asked us to improve turnover. Meters give more people a fair chance of finding a spot. Short-term parking also stimulates trade for local businesses, allowing greater opportunities for more customers to find a spot.
28 July 2011
You may have heard, seen or read in some sections of the media, reports which claimed that the City was more focussed on national and international issues than delivering core services.
The facts are these:
Frontline City of Sydney staff work tirelessly round the clock delivering vital services and meeting their core responsibilities every day of the year.
The City looks after the needs of more than one million residents,
workers, visitors and tourists every day.
The City's hard working staff keep our streets clean, maintain roads and footpaths, collect waste, fix drains and pipes, deliver meals on wheels, and provide services for children and for the over 55s.
City of Sydney figures relating to the number of inquiries handled by City Customer Service staff have been misrepresented as complaints, when in fact they are customer requests and inquiries about a wide range of issues.
Staff at neighbourhood service centres, at Town Hall and in the City’s contact centres handle face-to-face and telephone enquiries about matters such as paying rates, applying for parking permits, requesting garden waste pick-ups, asking for a City Ranger to investigate a neighbourhood noise complaint.
Staff answer around 248,000 calls every year, with 80 per cent of them answered within 20 seconds, and 70 per cent resolved at first contact.
The City of Sydney does not neglect its core responsibilities.
At this week’s four hour long Council meeting, 91 per cent of the time was spent discussing core council services including 33 planning, financial, environmental, cultural, and transport issues and development applications from residents. Less than nine per cent related to the carbon tax and condolences for the Norway massacre victims.
17 July 2011
You may have heard, seen or read in some sections of the media, reports which claimed that the City was using up its budget in a legal battle over its Smartpoles intellectual property rights.
The facts are these:
The City of Sydney is pursuing ongoing court proceedings involving Screetscape for between $6 and $8 million in royalties owed plus interest plus legal costs.
We have a duty to ensure that ratepayers are not short-changed, and to undertake rigorous action to defended ratepayers’ rights.
The City of Sydney owns the Intellectual Property rights for the design, specification and manufacture of its Smartpoles.
In 2002, under a previous administration and Lord Mayor, the City
awarded Streetscape, the company of Moses Obeid, a contract to supply Smartpoles across Australia, New Zealand and Spain.
However in 2007 The City discovered that Streetscape had also been supplying Smartpoles in Dubai and Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Singapore in breach of their licence agreement.
Royalties for these sales have not been paid to Sydney ratepayers, and based on Streetscapes own marketing figures we estimate that for between $6 and $8 million is owed to the City of Sydney in royalties.
The City has made many attempts to resolve the dispute with
Streetscape out of court This case involving the Middle East and Singapore follows an earlier dispute where Streetscape owed ratepayers more than $700,000 for unpaid royalties within Australia. However, the matter was settled out of court when Streetscape paid $400,000.
The City, with the unanimous support of Councillors, stands by its
decision to defend its Intellectual Property rights in this case in support of the interests of ratepayers and bona fide commercial activity.
In September 2010 Council unanimously agreed to continue defending its rights in this case. At that meeting, councillors were also advised that the legal costs at that stage were approximately $1.6 million.
29 June 2011
You may have heard, seen or read in some sections of the media, reports which claimed that non- residential ratepayers do not get a vote in City of Sydney Council elections.
The facts are these:
All businesses in the City of Sydney Local Government Area already have a say in City of Sydney elections.
There is a non-residential vote set out in the City of Sydney Act.
It is unique to the City of Sydney. It means that businesses can register to vote in the City of Sydney elections by nominating a person to vote on their behalf.
Recent elections suggest many businesses choose not to vote.
27 June 2011
You may have heard, seen or read in some sections of the media, reports which claimed that the City is paying for the services of spin doctors.
The facts are these:
The City of Sydney has a duty to regularly inform the community of its services, policies, special projects and programs and its efforts in support of increased sustainability.
However, a newspaper article that claims the City is spending $11
million a year on communications and “spin” is totally wrong.
The $11 million figure quoted is the budget for the operations of the entire City Engagement division, which includes Customer Service, City Conversations, Community Consultation, Media and Communications, Graphic Design and Publishing, Marketing and Business Support.
This budget includes salaries, capital assets, monitoring, events,
printing, distribution, photography, capital works updates and public notices.
The Media and Communications Unit component is less than 1 per cent of the Council's budget.
20 June 2011
You may have heard, seen or read in some sections of the media, reports which claimed that the City is ripping up major CBD streets for cycleways.
The facts are these:
None of the inner city cycleway routes identified in media reports are new. Council adopted the masterplan for its bike network back in 2007.
None of these routes are finalised - they will be subject to investigation, and considerable consultation with the RTA and the local community.
The routes are suggestions only at this stage. They are being examined for separated bike lane suitability.
The City works closely with the RTA over the design of each project - we won't compromise on safety. We always favour routes that are safe, have proven connectivity and are already well used by bike riders.
The RTA is a member of the City's Pedestrian, Cycling and Traffic Calming Committee and approves all our bike routes and helps determine their location.
In fact, the RTA chose the Kent Street route.
There is currently only 1.8 kilometres of separated cycleway in the CBD and only one more kilometre is being proposed at this stage.
There are thousands of bike riders on city streets every day during the morning and afternoon peaks and more and more people are taking it up. Independent analysis shows a 60 per cent average increase in the morning and a 48 per cent average increase in the afternoon over the past year.
These figures will continue to rise as more of the network is linked up. The City is now focused on 10 regional routes that will connect major destinations within and beyond the City. These routes were adopted by the Council in December.
When the network is finished it will feature a comprehensive 200 kilometre bike network, including 55 kilometres of separated cycleways in the Sydney Local Government Area.
The City conducted exhaustive consultation prior to making the commitment to build a bike network.
25 May 2011
You may have heard, seen or read in some sections of the media, reports which claimed that the City's cycleways were under-used.
The facts are these:
The most recent bike count shows a 60 per cent average increase in the AM period and an average 48 per cent increase during the PM period over the past year.
These figures confirm that most riders use the cycleways network to commute to and from work, avoiding rush hour traffic congestion.
Bike count figures at key intersections include:
King Street /Kent Street intersection where bike rider numbers have more than doubled from 228 in March 2010 to 771 in March 2011 in the PM period, or a 238 per cent increase;
College Street/Oxford Street intersection, where bike rider numbers have risen from 278 to 862 in the PM period, or a 210 per cent increase.
Bourke Road/Gardeners Road (Alexandria), where bike rider numbers have risen from 51 to 178 in the AM period, or a 249 per cent increase.
Bourke Street/Phelps Street (Surry Hills), where bike rider numbers have risen from 99 to 262 in the PM period, or a 165 per cent increase.
The Sydney cycleways network is being built in stages, and these stages need to be linked. Ten kilometres of separated cycleways have been built in inner Sydney so far - and no traffic lanes have been lost in their construction.
The City works closely with relevant authorities including the RTA, the local community and cycling groups in the design and planning of each route.
