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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
National
Sage Swinton

Greens pledge separated cycleway on Mayfield's main street

Outgoing Greens councillor John Mackenzie, candidate Sinead Francis Coan and candidate councillor Charlotte McCabe near the rail bridge on Maitland Road.

The Greens want to build a new separated cycleway in Mayfield down Maitland Road to improve safety around "an extremely dangerous" bridge in the suburb.

The party made the commitment ahead of September's council election to construct a cycleway buffer zone over the rail bridge on Maitland Road between Selwyn and Ferndale streets as part of a local centre upgrade.

Greens mayoral candidate and ward 2 councillor Charlotte McCabe said residents had reported the bridge as an issue when cycling.

"We've been door-knocking in Mayfield East and we've heard consistently from people that it is an area they feel is really unsafe," she said.

"It's really on people's minds who live in this area and it was also addressed in a recent BikeSpot survey as a location identified as being dangerous."

Newcastle council's 'On Our Bikes - Cycling Plan 2021-2030' identifies proposed new cycleway work over the rail bridge, but the track deviates down Selwyn and Clara streets to Crebert Street, avoiding Mayfield's main shopping area.

"What's currently in the cycleways plan is a cycle route that is much too far away in the north and the south," Cr McCabe said. "It's too far away from the shopping district and it's not going to encourage new cyclists.

"We have so many residents that live in this area of Mayfield, Mayfield East, Mayfield West, Warabrook.

"People who want to connect into the city at the moment have to choose their car and likewise anyone that's coming from Islington, Tighes Hill or the city that want to come up this way will not be able to choose their bike if they don't feel they can get the whole part of the journey in a way that is safe for them.

"That's why it needs to be connected safe cycleways not just pieces that don't complete a full journey."

Cr McCabe said the Greens plan would involve building a second structure adjacent to the existing four-lane bridge to accommodate the cycling infrastructure.

"It's definitely going to be expensive undertaking and that's I imagine why it hasn't been invested in yet," she said.

"We're going to need state government investment. It's not an asset that belongs to council, so we're going to need to have local government and state government collaborating together here to address the pinch point, but it's going to have to be done.

"It is an extremely dangerous bridge for cyclists and pedestrians and we really need to address that. It is a pinch point that is preventing people from choosing active transport."

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