Could the southern suburbs of Wollongong score their own free shuttle bus as part of a new movement plan? Photo: Wollongong City Council.
A ban on bikes in Wollongong’s Crown Street Mall but new end-of-trip facilities for cyclists are on the horizon.
These are among the changes planned to make the city centre more accessible by 2035, alongside a push for the NSW Government to fund a southern free ‘Gong shuttle.
The changes were voted in as part of Wollongong City Council’s amended City Centre Movement and Place Plan for 2025-2035.
Anyone hoping to see more parking in the CBD, however, will be disappointed.
Councillor David Brown said parking was a pernicious problem, and data showed city parking was well used.
“City parking spots are at 85 per cent occupancy, so clearly parking meters are not driving people away,” he said.
“As cities grow, parking gets worse, never better, and we cannot build our way out of that problem.
“We have to mitigate it with the resources we have available, by better utilising the stock we have and encouraging the use of active and public transport.”
Wollongong Lord Mayor Tania Brown agreed.
“We don’t have a parking problem, we have a parking perception problem,” she told the council.
Another lightning rod for controversy when the draft plan went out for public feedback was cycling.
Cr David Brown said there was a “notable” amount of criticism on the plan’s focus on cycling infrastructure; however, it remains an important cornerstone of Wollongong’s integrated transport future.
He suggested axing the proposal to allow bikes in Crown Street Mall as a compromise.
“I don’t think we should go there,” he said.
“We’ve exhausted our source of reputational capital on trials in this space.
“We could instead amend the plan to provide bike storage, bathrooms and shower facilities at the mall for riders who have reached the end of their trip.”
Cr Jess Whittaker opposed the move.
She said cyclists already used the mall, and regulating that use could make it safer.
Cr Dan Hayes hit back.
He said the mall was one area dedicated to pedestrians, and should be kept that way.
“There is a play area in the middle of the mall,” he said.
“It’s an area where people of all abilities can walk, and it’s clear there is a tension between cyclists and pedestrians in many areas where they share space.
“We talk about cars not being able to stop at every shop they want to go to — the same should go for cyclists.
“It’s one block; if cyclists can’t go around that, we’ve got a problem.”
The Mayor agreed.
She said although she was an enthusiastic user of the public e-scooters, it was appropriate that some spaces be set aside for pedestrians only.
“People meander through the mall, they’ve got dogs and prams and kids,” she said.
“Some time ago, I did think we should have marked cycling lanes through the mall, but it’s not going to happen.
“I’ve nearly been taken out by food delivery drivers who speed through, kids on fatbikes, and I’ve spoken to security guards who say it’s a real problem.
“There is very little support for bikes through the mall, and I think we need to let that idea go.”
The council voted to adopt the plan, with the omission of the cycle trial in the mall and the addition of end-of-trip facilities for cyclists in Crown Street.
