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REGIONAL transport manager Anna Zycki has defended controversial data showing less than 100 cars a day would use McCaffrey Drive to access the Newcastle Inner City Bypass at Rankin Park if ramps were provided.
Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) released a refined design for the Rankin Park to Jesmond section of the bypass on Wednesday, but it did not include the entry and exit ramps at McCaffrey Drive sought by residents.
The report said the ramps were not viable due to low forecast use and the high cost of construction. But the assumption that less than 100 of the 19,000 cars that use McCaffrey Drive each day would also use the ramps has been challenged by residents and Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery, who described the figures as improbable.
Ms Zycki said the figures came from traffic modelling.
“The data is in a traffic modelling report we have put up on the internet along with the refined design,” she said. “People have been calling for the raw data to be released but it is all up on our website.”
The RMS report said data collection methods included origin-destination surveys, midblock traffic counts and intersection turning counts. Data sets collected in October 2014 and May 2015 were used for the modelling.
Rob Brook, a solicitor working with residents who have campaigned for on/off ramps to be provided at McCaffrey Drive, said he remained concerned about the assumptions that had been made to arrive at the conclusion that only 80 to 90 cars a day would use the ramps.
“What we will see is that this decision will push a lot more cars from McCaffrey Drive on to surrounding narrow, steep, winding residential streets as they make their way to a bypass access,” he said.
Ms Hornery also criticised the design’s half interchange at John Hunter Hospital, which she called a “half-hearted interchange” .
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to ambulance or health people about that yet, but I imagine they will have some concerns,” she said.
The half interchange allows access to and from the bypass from the northern side of the hopsital only, with traffic from the south continuing to use the access at Lookout Road.
Ms Zycki said Hunter New England Health had been consulted.
“It is designed for us to be able to upgrade it to a full interchange if required but at this stage we don’t think that is required.
“Obviously the hospital would like a full interchange but by the same token they are still working on their master planning, so they don’t have plans yet for the roads within the hospital to connect to that.”
Other key aspects of the revised design are:
- Replacement of the large roundabout on Newcastle Road at the northern end (Jesmond) of the section with traffic lights
- Provision of three lanes in either direction on Newcastle Road
- A new footbridge on Newcastle Road to replace the pedestrian and cyclist crossing at Jesmond Park
- A bridge over the bypass connecting to the McCaffrey Drive/Lookout Road lights
- Lights on Lookout Road and the bypass to control the merging of southbound traffic from Lookout Road (similar to the traffic arrangement at the Bennetts Green end of the bypass)
The new plans for the $280 million fifth stage of the bypass can be viewed at: rms.nsw.gov.au/rp2j
Public comment is invited until June 9. Information sessions will be held at Stockland Jesmond on Thursday, May 26, between 4pm and 8.30pm, and Saturday, May 21 and 28, between 9am and 12.30pm.
