The state motoring lobby is warning against permanently removing traffic lanes from Parramatta Road for a public transport corridor if a motorway is built underneath.
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In a report into the WestConnex project, the NRMA says all traffic lanes on Parramatta Road would need to remain open to general traffic in case an accident blocked the planned motorway below ground.
If the government took this advice, it may make it difficult to install a permanent public transport presence on Parramatta Road, a corridor it has pledged to revive.
When the state government released early plans for the WestConnex project late last year, it said bus lanes would be installed on Parramatta Road between Burwood and Leichhardt.
The government has since said it would investigate light rail on this corridor. It pledged $400 million in the state budget into a light rail corridor near Parramatta.
One of the routes it is looking at is Parramatta to the Sydney Central Business District via Parramatta Road.
But there are is as yet no clear indication of how the government plans to marry the WestConnex project – which at 33 kilometres would be the biggest motorway built in this country – with improved public transport in inner-western suburbs that it has also slated for more housing development.
The NRMA’s report, “WestConnex: Getting it Right” says the organisation is a strong supporter of the $15 billion project, but that support “is not unconditional”.
The report calls on the government to come up with innovative designs to ensure drivers do not lose their concentration on the motorway, in particular on a proposed 13 kilometre tunnel from the end of the M4 at Homebush to the Princes Highway at St Peters.
“It will be the longest road tunnel in Australia, three times longer than Sydney’s longest existing tunnel – the M5 East,” the report says.
“Driving through WestConnex will be a new experience for Sydney’s motorists. With mistakes by motorists contributing to 95 per cent of crashes, the challenge is to make it a good experience,” it says.
It suggests following the example of Scandinavian tunnel designers, who have installed caves and varied lighting inside long tunnels to break the monotony for drivers.
And it also notes the risk that the city could come to a standstill if a tunnel as large as WestConnex was blocked for an accident – a relatively frequent occurrence in Sydney’s road tunnels.
“New bus lanes on Parramatta Road will need to be suspended during major incidents,” it says.
The Liberal Member for Drummoyne, John Sidoti, is supportive of dedicated public transport corridors being installed at the same time as WestConnex.
“To me more density doesn’t mean more buses,” Mr Sidoti said. “Buses on clogged roads just don’t work.”
The government is planning on briefing construction and finance firms on the M5 East section of the WestConnex this month. It will then call for tenders for firms to design and build that section of the motorway.
A spokeswoman for the Roads Minister, Duncan Gay, said the “the Minister has received the report and will look at its recommendations”.
