The State Government is considering a third road crossing of Sydney Harbour. The proposal would see a tunnel linking the end of the M2 at Lane Cove to the Anzac Bridge. This would provide an alternate route to the city for M2 traffic (negating the need to use the Lane Cove Tunnel and the Gore Hill Freeway.

Contrary to the opinions expressed by ratepayers, Willoughby Council has resolved to lodge an application with the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal to increase rates  (via way of an infrastructure Levy) by 27.37% over the next 7 years.

The need for the levy is to address the backlog of infrastructure works that has built up over the past 30 years from when rate pegging was introduced.

Council was divided on the issue. There must have been one Councillor absent as the Mayor used her casting vote in favour of the motion to increase the rates

Roses in bloom

Do you have a garden of which you are proud? Would you like to make contact with like-minded gardeners? Ever thought about ‘showing’ your garden?

If so, there are a number zealous gardeners who would like to ‘hook-up’ with others.

To make contact, send an email to cwwpanews@gmail.com and I will pass your details on to the gardeners.

Have you been in Victoria Avenue opposite The Concourse near dusk? Wondered who is making the racket? Many people think the noise is coming from Noisy Minors. The truth is that the majority of the birds in the trees are Rainbow Lorikeets.

What a wonderful place we live in !

The 255 bus route provides a service between Colwell Crescent and Chatswood Station. It is of particular value to less mobile residents and very young children attending Chatswood Public school, but it is endangered by traffic problems, leading to low patronage.

There are two problems: parking that obstructs the smooth passage of buses, and traffic that slows the crossing of the highway in a reasonable time.

The parking problems are particularly noticeable in Carr and Lone Pine Sts, but occur along the entire route. Tradesmen are often guilty of parking thoughtlessly and completely blocking a bus, disrupting the timetable for hours afterwards. Possible solutions lie in better enforcement of parking rules, particularly near intersections, and selective removal of parking rights in some spots eg in Eddy Rd near the intersection with Lone Pine.

The congestion problem is harder to solve. In the morning peak, it is common for a bus to endure 4 or 5 traffic light cycles at the top of Centennial Av before it can emerge onto the highway, where further delays await at Victoria Av. Removal of parking rights on the north side of Centennial above the pedestrian crossing would help greatly, but would be be unpopular with school parents.
The problems need imaginative solutions before someone at Sydney Buses decides to abolish the service

Tunnelling for the North West Rail Link commenced in June 2013; and the contract for the
viaducts west of Bella Vista was awarded in December 2013. When completed, the rail
service would be the first Australian fully automated rail system linking Sydney’s north-west (Cudgegong Road west of Rouse Hill) to the Sydney CBD. The existing rail from Epping to Chatswood will be upgraded to accommodate the new rapid transit service. Extension of the rapid transit system to new Sydney CBD stations in the future would be via a second Harbour crossing, which would also be linked to the Bankstown to Hurstville and Illawarra
lines.

The North West Rail Link Project consists of three (3) major contracts:

1. Tunnels and Station Civil Works, which involves the building of 15km of twin-tunnels from Bella Vista and Epping.

2. Surface and Viaduct Civil Works, which involves the construction of elevated tracks and a bridge between Bella Vista and Cudgegong Road.

3. Operations, Trains and Systems, which involves the building of stations and associated car parks, supplying the trains, installing the tracks and upgrading the Epping to Chatswood rail link to accommodate the new rapid transit system.

The proposed rapid transit system will be integrated with the existing Suburban Rail Network and the InterCity Regional Network. When completed, the rapid transit system will deliver driverless trains at 5 minute intervals (during peak times). There will be 8 new railway stations between Cudgegong Road and Epping; and 4,000 commuter car parking spaces at these new stations. Travel time from Cudgegong Road to Chatswood (which would operate as a rail interchange) is expected to be 37 minutes; and from Cudgegong Road to Wynyard 57 minutes.

Detailed information about the project may be accessed from the website:
www.northwestrail.com.au .