TRANSPORT IMPACTS

This is specific for NSW but some advice may carry through to other states and countries

Frame the problem

• what are the impacts of the current conditions - safety, inconvenience, time wasting, confusing, wayfinding difficulties, complete deterrent to cycling ….
• who is affected - how important is this area to the cycling network, what is the current usage, are pedestrians or motorized vehicles also adversely affected ….
• can you quantify any aspects of the problem - wait times, distances, slopes, line of sight, commuter traffic count, rate of risky behaviour, accident history (ask the local council for this)

Who is responsible

• If it is road related - find out if it’s on a state road (RTA responsibility) and which LGA it is in
  • map of state roads in sydney
  • map of all state roads in NSW
  • map of LGAs in inner Sydney
  • map of LGAs in outer Sydney
  • map of LGAs regional
• Does it involve an intersection with traffic signals? - this will be an RTA matter

Gathering support and advice

• Contact the local bike user group
• Write a petition
• Contact local institutions and businesses that may have interests in the issue - universities, tafes, schools, workplaces, hospitals, sporting complexes, entertainment venues
• Talk to cyclists in the vicinity of the issue with their point of view
• Read the local council’s committment to cycling and contact them, with quotes from their documents
• If you write a submission, distribute it to these parties and ask them to support the document
• If you can find a partner in crime to help you, that will be a great relief for you and help keep your spirits high when you feel like you are hitting your head against a brick wall

Working out solutions

• Consider level of service for traffic - the RTA won’t do anything if it might hurt the flow of cars
• Minimise implementation costs - avoid large infrastructural changes unless necessary
• Loss of car parks hit the council hard, so try to avoid this one too
• Be creative and sensible and ask around for other people’s advice
• Look at examples from other areas, cities or countries to draw inspiration and demonstrate the workability of your proposed solution to the authority in change

Write a submission

• Clearly define the problem
• Ensure you include the names of everyone that is in support of your ideas
• Use appendices to ensure the body of the document isn’t too long
• Take photos to demonstrate the problem
• Use mapping tools to demonstrate the importance of the area in question
• For an example of a submission I recently did -

light phase submission - body