NEWS
Sydney’s summer of freedom As the NSW government and the City of Sydney make efforts to resuscitate the hospitality industry, the planning rule book has been thrown out the window. NSW customer service minister Victor Dominello, who led last year’s calls to reduce red tape to allow hospitality venues to create alfresco spaces, said: “The sweet life in Sydney is all about the outdoors. The time is coming to embrace our summer of freedom.” The further expansion of reforms means that streets, bowling greens — even carparks — can become potential outdoor settings for restaurants and beer gardens. NSW planning minister Rob Stokes said the government will do all it can to
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DONE RIGHT, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD A NEW CULTURE OF OUTDOOR DINING ACROSS SYDNEY. COMMITTEE FOR SYDNEY make it easy for venues to expand their businesses outside. “We’re blessed with a beautiful climate, and spectacular places and open spaces. Let’s move indoors outdoors, raise a glass and enjoy summer after a rough winter.” Meanwhile, urban think tank Committee for Sydney is lobbying for local councils to pedestrianise their
high streets. “As the weather gets warmer, we call on councils and state government to work with local businesses to temporarily close certain streets and to roll out parklets across the city,” read a statement. “Done right, we have an opportunity to build a new culture of outdoor dining across Sydney.”
Lengthy light rail shutdown After cracks appeared in inner west trams, all services were immediately suspended along the L1 light rail line and replaced with buses. Shorty after, transport minister Rob Stokes revealed the extent of the damage was “more significant than first thought”. “The inner west light rail fleet will be decommissioned for up to 18 months while the issues identified are rectified,” Stokes announced. The cracks — found on all 12 trams running from Dulwich Hill to Central Station — were discovered during routine maintenance. Following a detailed inspection of the Spanish-built vehicles, Transport for NSW chief operations officer Howard Collins said cracks in their base were clearly visible. “We drove up and down the line, and you could see the cracks opening and closing on a normal straight bit of track
with no bumps or twists as the car body is stressing itself because there are cracks in this suspension area,” Collins told the Sydney Morning Herald. For Inner Westies, the extended shut down of the 12.8km light rail line will cause major disruption — especially as people emerge from their home offices to return to their CBD work stations. With the replacement bus journeys considerably slower and longer, Stokes announced passengers would receive 50 percent discounts on their fares to and from the city. “I understand regular
6 | Inner Sydney Voice | Summer 2021-2022 | innersydneyvoice.org.au
passengers on the inner west light rail are really frustrated by this situation,” Stokes said. Speaking to the Inner West Review, inner west mayor Rochelle Porteous called the situation “deplorable”. “The inner west is paying the price of foolish decisions made by the government that has been more focused on privatising the route than delivering a safe, integrated and reliable light rail service.” Meanwhile, NSW Labor was quick to seize on the latest of a litany of problems with the government’s overseas-procured transport vehicles. Shadow minister for transport and member for Summer Hill Jo Haylen said: “The government’s transport procurement policies are now in tatters. They bought trains that don’t fit the tracks, ferries that can’t fit under bridges or operate at night, and an entire fleet of trams that simply don’t work.”
