Officials have been consideringre-routing 500X bus services through the 1.1-kilometre Iron Cove Link,which bypasses a stretch of Victoria Road in Balmain.
However,Collins said the 500X bus services would not be re-routed for at least the next two months because more people in Balmain were trying to take public transport instead of driving.
“If we divert those 500X services ... it will reduce the capacity of the people in this area getting a bus into the city,” he said.
With about 1500 people converging on the new parkland on Sunday,Roads Minster John Graham thanked locals for their patience during construction of the interchange over the last four years.
Graham said the opening of a 10-hectare parkland was a “special moment” for the city,which would add 14 kilometres of cycling and walking paths. “It’s part of a push to recognise we need more parklands in our city,” he said.
Inner West Council mayor Darcy Byrne said locals had “put up with a lot” during construction of the interchange,including parking and traffic chaos.
“This is the compensation that our community was promised,” he said,referring to the parkland. “We have had to fight hard to make sure that we got it.”
The state government has chipped in an extra $20 million for the parklands.
Balmain Greens MP Kobi Shetty said the road congestion in the weeks after the interchange opened last month had been stressful for people living in the area. “It’s been a bit of the salt on the wounds for everyone who’s put up with four or five years of construction,” she said.
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However,she said the parkland was a “real win” for the inner west which had a critical shortage of green space. Pedestrian and cycling bridges over the City West Link would also better connect suburbs on each side.
Located just a few kilometres from the Sydney CBD,the parkland comprises two large grass sports fields,wetlands with a boardwalk on top,playgrounds,fitness equipment,a barbecue area and a network of cycle and pedestrian paths. The park has been built on the site of the former Rozelle rail yards,which closed in 1980.
While the park opened on Sunday,lighting for the sports fields,multipurpose courts for netball and basketball,and changing rooms for organised sports will not be completed until next year.