3 November 2023
by Peter Noble
The Minns Government must have deep pockets if it has $100 million of taxpayers’ money to spare for a massive ramp at Milsons Point to take bicycle riders up to the Sydney Harbour Bridge cycle path.
That’s the price tag according to the local community who can’t see the need for a bike ramp or justify the spending when we are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.
Building a long ramp across the western face of Milsons Point Station also tramples on the heritage value of the bridge and undertakings that were given to the local community dating back to after its opening in 1932.
John Bradfield, the “father” of the Sydney Harbour Bridge would be astounded at what the government has in mind.
Some perspective is needed. Transport for NSW is contemplating building a huge ramp to replace 55 steps that fit and healthy bike riders have been using since the early 1960s.
Spend a few minutes on site and you’ll see bike riders quite happily wheeling their bikes up the stairs to the bridge deck using inbuilt flat sections on each flight. Spending $100 million to replace this arrangement is a classic example of using a sledgehammer to crack an acorn.
The local community has put up a counter proposal to the government’s intrusive linear bike ramp that will disfigure the historic face of the bridge approaches. Their solution involves a curved ramp located away from the entrance to Milsons Point Station. It’s a better solution but the question remains, should any taxpayer funds be devoted to what amounts to a vanity project. I don’t think so.
There is a history to this part of Sydney that should be respected. The Milsons Point and North Sydney community was devastated during the ten year construction period. Many homes and businesses were demolished. Families faced intense dislocation. It was so intense at the time it dominated debate in State Parliament.
Large swathes of residential Sydney both north and south of the harbour were compulsorily resumed. Some 400 houses on the north side were destroyed leaving more than 2,000 people homeless. Excess furniture and household items were burnt in the streets. Paltry compensation was paid to the owners of the land and unfortunately tenants either residential or business were sent packing without a penny.
People in shops, pubs and businesses were all evicted. Trees were cut down and vegetable gardens were torn apart. A thriving community was destroyed.
To placate a devastated community, Parliament, after three years of raucous debate, dedicated Bradfield Park as a reserve to be kept as an open air oasis in perpetuity. It’s this long dedicated reserve that is now at risk.
No doubt the current government is blissfully unaware that this commitment was made all those years ago. Defacing the area with a bike ramp that is not really a first order priority during a cost-of-living crisis or wanted by the community would be a travesty.
It’s even hard to explain how this bike ramp idea even surfaced. It seems there was a call for shovel ready projects that could help kickstart the economy post pandemic. Somehow this plan bubbled to the surface. The bike riding lobby is obviously very powerful.
We are not even sure the government has $100 million for the bike ramp. At some stage, authorities might go looking for a face saving solution.
Here’s one to consider. The best result would be to leave things just as they are. No defacing the approaches to the bridge and preserving all of the open space dedicated to the community back in the 1930s.
But if the government is really determined to do something for otherwise fit and healthy bike riders by replacing the existing steps, why not install a lift? It would be less intrusive than a ramp and would involve a fraction of the cost.
This is clearly one of those occasions when the do nothing option is the best option and the cheapest for the taxpayer. And, if there is $100 million in the kitty, it could be better spent on schools and hospitals.
Peter Noble is a member of the Milsons Point Community Group which opposes the linear bike ramp plan and a proponent of the community ramp