Archives: Media Releases

EASING CONGESTION IN CARINGBAH CBD

Quicker journey times are on their way for Caringbah motorists with improvements at the intersection of President Avenue and Kingsway.

The upgrade will improve traffic flow, increase capacity and reduce delays for thousands of road users on one of Sydney’s key corridors.

The upgrade includes duplicating the right turn lane from Kingsway into President Avenue, removing up to 14 restricted parking spaces in the eastbound lane of Kingsway to allow through traffic and enforcing no right turns from Hay Avenue onto Kingsway (buses excepted).

There will be replacement parking in Caringbah CBD. There will be around 14 replacement perpendicular car park spaces added in Hay Avenue next to the train line in the existing taxi holding area. In the Hay Avenue carpark, around 13 existing parking spaces next to Hay Lane will be converted to half hour parking.

In addition, the Sutherland Traffic Committee will investigate:

  • Hay Avenue becoming two way
  • An additional small taxi rank adjacent to the southern kerb of Kingsway immediately west of the traffic lights at the train station
  • Parallel parking on the north east side of Hay Lane
  • Perpendicular parking on the south side of Hay Avenue
  • No right turn from Port Hacking Road into Kingsway

A bus stop will remain on Kingsway heading east next to the train station.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUTHERLAND COURTHOUSE OPEN DAY FOR MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITIES

A free open day will be held at Sutherland Courthouse for newly arrived migrants and refugees to learn more about fast, fair and accessible justice.

The event will give multicultural community members an opportunity to learn more about the law and how to solve common legal issues.

When you arrive in a new country, the cultural and language barriers you face are overwhelming. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to work closely with multicultural communities to ensure they have the tools to navigate the justice system.

Adjusting to life in a new country is challenging and events like the law information expo make it easier for multicultural communities to understand their rights and responsibilities.

This free event will break down barriers for new community members who may be unaware of valuable services that can help them address legal problems.

The open day will include information sessions on:

  • the difference between civil and criminal law;
  • how a court operates;
  • how to commence court proceedings;
  • victims services ;
  • consumer rights;
  • driving licences and rules

The open day will be held at the Sutherland Courthouse, Cnr Flora & Belmont St., Sutherland, on Friday, 3 August from 10am-1pm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMPROVEMENTS FOR BUSY GYMEA INTERSECTION

Roads and Maritime Services is progressing plans to upgrade the intersection of President Avenue and Gymea Bay Road at Gymea to improve traffic flow and travel times for motorists.

The improvements will be delivered as part of the NSW Government’s $100 million Congestion and Safety Program which aims to ease congestion and improve safety on our roads.

Roads and Maritime is working with Sutherland Shire Council to develop a design for this busy intersection to improve safety and efficiency for the 40,000 vehicles which use it each day.

A high number of vehicles travel along President Avenue every day, resulting in congestion during the morning and afternoon peak periods.  This work will aim to improve travel times for motorists.

Work along President Avenue will include providing a dedicated left turn bay and an extended right turn bay from President Avenue into Gymea Bay Road northbound to improve traffic flows.

The southern side of President Avenue will also be widened to provide a dedicated left turn bay from President Avenue into Gymea Bay Road southbound.

The work is expected to start later this year.

The community and stakeholders will be kept up to date as the project progresses.

For more information about the Pinch Points Program visit rms.nsw.gov.au/pinchpoints.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SCHOOL PLAYGROUNDS OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY THESE WINTER HOLIDAYS

School playgrounds in the Cronulla electorate will be available for the local community to use during the school holidays under an expansion of the successful Share Our Space Program.

Four Cronulla schools will now be open for the community to enjoy during the winter school holidays. Caringbah Public School, Kurnell Public School and Woolooware Public School will participate in the program along with Cronulla South Public School, which first threw open its gates during the April school holidays.

School playgrounds are valuable assets and by making them accessible outside of the school term they can provide a broader benefit to the whole community, including opportunities for sport on school ovals.

Allowing access to school grounds and sports facilities is also a great way to encourage children to keep active during the holidays.

The Share Our Space Program is part of the NSW Government’s recently announced $290 million Open Spaces and Green Sydney package.

Participating schools will receive a $5000 grant they can use to help upgrade their facilities for community and school use.

The schools will be open during the upcoming school holidays from 9 to 20 July, between 8am to 5pm.

MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN IN CRONULLA

More children in the Cronulla will have access to a quality early childhood education, with the NSW Government today announcing $42,400 to invest in attendance-encouraging initiatives in the Cronulla and Miranda electorates.


Cronulla MP Mark Speakman said the funding – part of the NSW Government’s Community Grants program – aims to increase the number of Aboriginal children and children from disadvantaged backgrounds attending a preschool program.


The following services in the Cronulla electorate have been successful in their Community Grants application:

Service Name Amount Awarded (Ex. GST) Activity
Kurnell Pre-School Kindergarten $6,000.00 Staff development, purchase cultural resources
Jacaranda Preschool $10,000.00 Staff development – embedding Aboriginal perspectives


For more information, visit the Department of Education website.

KIRRAWEE HIGH SCHOOL CADET FIREFIGHTERS GRADUATE

Fourteen students from Kirrawee High School have today successfully completed the NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) Secondary School Cadet Program.


The cadets have completed an eight week course that has given them skills which will last a lifetime.


The program is a great way to introduce young people to the important role volunteer fire fighters play within communities.


As well as examining fire behaviour, the students have been taught essential fire safety techniques and gained an appreciation of the work emergency services volunteers face every day.


The cadet program also offers students the opportunity to experience firsthand the commitment and camaraderie that comes with volunteering.


This is the fifth year that Kirrawee High School has offered the NSW RFS Secondary School Cadet Program to its students.


The school provides support to the program by supervising the cadets during training.


It is this ongoing support from the school’s Principal Paul Owens, the teachers and staff that help to make the program such a success.


The benefits of volunteering are enormous and it is inspiring to see our next generation getting involved.

 

 

 

 

SUTHERLAND SENIORS GET ACTIVE IN THE COMMUNITY

Local seniors will be supported to remain active and engaged in the community through two innovative projects being funded by the NSW Government in the Sutherland Shire.

The Ring o‘Roses project has received $24,500 through the Liveable Communities Grants program. Ring o’Roses aims to reduce social isolation experienced by older people and people with disability. The Ring O’Roses team, comprising people with disability, support workers and older volunteers, will collect unused flower arrangements and these will then be delivered to aged care facilities.

Ring o’Roses was a good example of the unique projects supported by the Liveable Communities Grants program.

Programs like these make the Shire a more inclusive, accessible and enjoyable place to live in later life.

In addition, Sutherland Shire Council has received $60,000 for The Loneliness Project, which will see volunteers visit older people and spend time building connections with them. Sutherland Shire Council will work with community partners BeConnected Community Services Inc., 3Bridges Community, and Gymea Community Aid and Information services to create these programs and to reach seniors so they can participate in these programs.

This project will promote wellness and wellbeing for older people through active participation and enhancing social networks.

The NSW Government is supporting projects like these so residents are supported to stay engaged with friends, family and the wider local community as they grow older.

Both projects have secured funding through Round Three of the NSW Government’s Liveable Communities Grants, with 25 programs receiving a share of $1.2 million this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STAGE 1 F6 EXTENSION UPDATE

Stage 1 of the F6 extension, between the new M5 and President Avenue Kogarah, will allow drivers to bypass 23 sets of traffic lights and save up to 15 minutes on each journey.

 

Premier Gladys Berejiklian today announced it’s now fully funded and open for community feedback.

 

Following this round of community consultation, an Environmental Impact Statement will be completed and exhibited. The Government is targeting tendering and procurement to be underway next year.

 

The stage 1 design includes connection tunnels to facilitate the F6 between Kogarah and Loftus, which is in development.

 

For further information visit www.rms.nsw.gov.au/f6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MORE TRAIN SERVICES FOR T4 ILLAWARRA LINE

The number of trains which can run during the morning and afternoon peaks on the T4 Illawarra Line and T8 Airport Line will be increased, following the NSW Government’s $880 million investment in technology improvements to modernise the Sydney Trains network.


Five more trains an hour will operate during the peak on the T4 Illawarra Line from Cronulla, which is an increase of up to 30 per cent in capacity.


The T4 Illawarra Line and T8 Airport Line are the first beneficiaries of these signalling upgrades, which will be rolled out across the network – significantly boosting capacity and reliability for all train customers.


These upgrades will be delivered in stages with services coming online progressively from the early 2020s.


The technology improvements will also allow for eight more services an hour on the T8 Airport Line at the International, Domestic, Mascot and Green Square stations, meaning trains at least on average every four minutes instead every six.


Over the next 10 years the T4 and T8 program will deliver:

  • More services that will reduce wait times, meet demand and provide more seats for long distance customers.
  • Faster travel times for customers through digital train control technology and upgraded rail infrastructure, creating more opportunities for express trains.
  • Improved reliability and reduce customer impacts from incidents.

Since coming to Government the NSW Liberals & Nationals have added an additional 30,000 public transport services.

 

 

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT REPORT NOW ONLINE FOR NEW AND EXTENDED CLEARWAYS ON TAREN POINT ROAD

The community engagement report is now available online for new and extended clearways on Taren Point Road between Captain Cook Bridge, Taren Point and Kingsway at Caringbah.

Clearways will be installed as part of the NSW Government’s $121 million Clearways Program, which aims to reduce delays and congestion by maximising use of existing road space.

In November last year, Roads and Maritime Services informed businesses, the community and key stakeholders of new weekend and extended weekday clearways on Taren Point Road between Captain Cook Bridge at Taren Point and Kingsway at Caringbah.

Feedback was requested on proposed alternative business parking arrangements on Box and Kumulla Roads to offset business parking removed from Taren Point Road once the new and extended clearways come into effect.

Roads and Maritime has listened to all feedback received and will be progressing with the new and extended clearways on Taren Point Road, with some minor changes.

Between Captain Cook Bridge and The Boulevarde/Captain Cook Drive, the extended weekday clearways will operate in both directions from 6am to 7pm and the new weekend and public holiday clearways will operate in both directions from 9am to 6pm.

Proposed clearways between The Boulevarde/Captain Cook Drive and Kingsway have been changed. The existing weekday clearways will be extended to operate in both directions from 6am to 10am and from 3pm to 7pm, but not on weekends.

To further improve efficiency at the intersections of Taren Point Road with The Boulevarde/Captain Cook Drive and Kingsway, Roads and Maritime will be introducing additional parking restrictions to provide additional lane capacity to improve traffic through these intersections. The parking restrictions will also support the weekday clearways operating in both directions from 6am to 10am and from 3pm to 7pm on this section of Taren Point Road.

The new and extended clearways, including the additional parking restrictions, are vital to keep motorists moving through this key arterial route safely and efficiently.

For more information and to view the Community Engagement Report visit rms.nsw.gov.au/clearways.

Roads and Maritime is finalising the alternate business parking with council and once this has been approved, the community will be updated and provided with a timeline for installation.