Alfred Street Pedestrian and Cyclist Upgrade

The upgrades along the length of Alfred Street are scheduled to be delivered in multiple stages:

• Stage 1a - between Eleanor Street and Gray Street
• Stage 1b - between Gray Street and Parramatta Road
• Stage 1c - Alfred Street Bridge over the Parramatta River
• Stage 2 - between Eleanor Street and George Street

Associated projects include a new pedestrian and cyclist crossing over Parramatta Road at Marsh Street, and the missing link on the southern foreshore of Parramatta River between Alfred Street and the Parramatta CBD through Queens Wharf Reserve (funded for revised design in 2021/22).

1). A separated bike path on the eastern side of Alfred Street between Eleanor Street and George Street with short sections of shared path.

2). Pedestrian and cyclist priority crossings on:

• The southern and eastern legs of the intersections of Alfred Street and Eleanor, Virginia, Weston and Alice Streets
• The southern, northern and eastern legs of the intersection of Alfred Street and Prospect Street
• Across Alfred Street at Clay Cliff Creek, and across Oak Street at Alfred Street
• Across Gray Street at Alfred Street, Granville

3). Pedestrian priority crossings on:

• The western leg of the intersection of Alfred Street at Eleanor, Virginia, Weston and Alice Streets.

4). Shared paths from Alfred Street on the:

• Southern side of Virginia Street to Arthur Street
• Southern side of Prospect Street to James Ruse Drive
• Southern side of Alice Street to Good Street
• Northern side of Hassall Street to Purchase Street

5). Traffic signal upgrade at Hassall Street and Alfred Street (subject to TfNSW approvals):

• New shared pedestrian and cyclist lanterns on the southern, western and northern legs
• New cyclist phase on the eastern leg

6). Bus stops on Alfred Street are as close as 100m in places, therefore they are proposed to be rationalised to be approximately 400m apart, in “pairs” and near key destinations. See the diagrams of the proposed changes in the resources section.

• Transport for NSW guidelines state that bus stops are to be spaced at 200m to 400m intervals and should be kept to a practical minimum to reduce journey times and passenger delays.

In August 2021, Council exhibited Stage 2 of the Alfred Street Pedestrian and Cyclist Upgrade. The outcome of the exhibition was reported to the Parramatta Traffic Committee (PTC), and subsequently approved.

Since then, a number of changes to the exhibited proposal have been made which are required to deliver the project:

• The purpose of the bus stop changes is to remove a closely spaced stop.
• The purpose of the parking changes is to introduce three new large street trees to provide shade and amenity for pedestrians and cyclists.
• The purpose of the turn restriction is to prohibit larger vehicles making the turn and either crossing the centreline of Alfred Street, or mounting the kerb whilst making a northbound turn.

During the 2022 re-exhibition, participants were asked to review the detailed plans available in the Resources section before making a submission.

Public exhibition now closed

Council invited submissions via an online submission form, by letter, or by email.

For more information on the project, please contact the Transport Planning Team on (02) 9806 5050.

Submissions closed at 5pm on Tuesday 25 October 2022.

Construction and design of this project is being funded by the NSW Government through the Transport for NSW Active Transport Program.

There is a heritage listed Boundary Stone between Weston Street and Alice Street that from photographic records demonstrates was moved between 1978 and 1985.

An assessment is currently underway into whether it can be moved closer to it’s original position on Alfred Street.

There will be minor impacts to on-street parking, and in most blocks, parking is retained on both sides of the street

There are currently approximately 100 spaces on Alfred Street between Eleanor Street and George Street and approximately 90 are retained.

Parking surveys indicated an occupancy of 70-80 spaces during the day, with some side streets having excess capacity.

There are no property access or circulation changes planned as part of this project.

It is planned to open in 2024.

Construction is planned to take place in early 2024.

There is a small portion of the community who are comfortable riding with vehicles no matter how busy the street: the “strong and fearless”. However, through international research it has been identified that two-thirds of the community are “interested but concerned” about cycling, and the key factor is safety. Councils endorsed Bike Plan 2017 sets a vision for cycling to be safe, and perceived as a safe and attractive option for all members of the community, for those aged 8 through to 80. Therefore, on a busier street such as Alfred Street it is proposed to separate cyclists from vehicles. This aligns with the Bike Plan that identified Alfred Street as the key north-south route east of the CBD.