sydney-city-centre-review-of-environmental-factors

Road
Sussex Street
between
King Street and
Druitt Street
Clarence Street
between
Jamison Street to
Druitt Street
York Street
between
King Street and
Druitt Street
Precinct 3: southern
Sussex Street
between
Bathurst Street
and
Goulburn Street
Traffic conditions
Sussex Street extends between Erskine Street at Hay Street and
functions as a one-way southbound street south of King Street.
Sussex Street provides direct access to the Western Distributor (at
Market Street and Druitt Street) and the Cross City Tunnel (via
Liverpool Street) from the north-west and western areas of the city
centre. Sussex Street is also the only southbound street west of
George Street which connects the northern and southern areas of
the city centre. The development of the Barangaroo site together
with the pedestrianisation of George Street under the CSELR will
inevitably result in Sussex Street becoming an increasingly
important traffic corridor. Currently, there are two dedicated
southbound lanes in Sussex Street on the approach to Market
Street and three lanes on the departure side. The alignment of
these lanes, together with the parking provisions adjacent to the
eastern and western kerbs, effectively reduces the road’s capacity
by creating a pinch point at this point along Sussex Street.
Clarence Street is a major bus corridor. It is used by both private
and Government-owned buses serving Sydney’s north and northwest.
The number of buses using Clarence Street has led to
designation of much of the western kerb as a bus zone. It carries
about 720 vehicles and 280 buses per hour during peak periods.
Split stops have been used as a mechanism for managing boarding
passenger and minimising bus stop dwell times. A dedicated bus
lane operates along the western kerb between 6.00am and 8.00pm
on weekdays north of Market Street. However, the effectiveness of
the bus lane is significantly impacted by the split stop
arrangements. Buses move out of the bus lane and mix with
general traffic in order to pass stationary buses. Parking is generally
permitted at all times of the day adjacent to the eastern kerb.
York Street is a major street for buses, accommodating services
which cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge from the north shore,
Pittwater and north-west areas of Sydney. Bus volumes have risen
continually over the past 10 years with the latest data indicating in
the order of 380 buses crossing the bridge in every hour during
the morning peak period. Of this number, almost half continue
beyond Wynyard to the QVB and/or Railway Square. The historical
construction of localised footway widenings in the section of York
Street between King Street and York Street, now creates squeeze
points and impediments to the flow of buses and general traffic.
Sussex Street is one-way southbound between King Street and Hay
Street. In the section south of Bathurst Street, two trafficable lanes
are with parking in one form or another provided adjacent to the
eastern and western kerbs. Traffic congestion is a regular
occurrence on the approaches to both Liverpool Street and
Goulburn Street. This is due to the limited storage capacity provided
for turning traffic. This in turn impacts on the capacity of the through
lanes.
Sydney City Centre Capacity Improvement 14
Review of Environmental Factors