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HarbourLink Task Force reconvening not agreed – Mar 12th 2009

HarbourLink Task Force at North Sydney Council will not be reconvened until the Project receives funding

At the last Combined North Sydney Council (NSC) Bicycle and Pedestrian Sub-committee Meeting (20 Feb 2009), bicycle representatives were successful in achieving a recommendation from the Committee that 'The Harbour Link Task Force be reconvened'.  This was very positive news and it was disappointing to see that that the recommendation in the Statement of Business for the NSC Traffic Committee (Item 1) on 12 March 2009 was:

 “That the recommendation of the 6th meeting of the Bicycle Subcommittee and the 24th Pedestrian Subcommittee be adopted with the exception of the following:

Minute no 5 which reads:

 Resolved to recommend:

1. THAT the item be adopted

2. THAT the HarbourLink Task Force be reconvened

 Being changed to

 Resolved to recommend

1.  THAT this item be adopted

2. THAT the HarbourLink Task Force be reconvened, should funding for the detailed design and/or construction of HarbourLink become available.

 In view of this substantial alteration in recommendation, Bike North attended the Traffic Committee meeting on 12 March 2009 and made a submission from the floor that the recommendations of the last Bicycle Subcommittee meeting be adopted without amendment. Two of the Councillors voted in favour of the Bike  North submission but two did not, including the Chair, who had the casting vote.  This meant the submission did not succeed. Council’s reason for not wanting the HarbourLink Task Force to be reconvened was that it had neither the financial resources nor staff to convene, attend and write up the Minutes of such a Task-Force given that cyclists could already cycling issues through the existing NSC Bicycle Sub-committee.

A Councillor approached Bike North following the meeting to suggest the establishment of an informal working group to progress the HarbourLink Project further and bicycle groups will now look into this possibility further with the Councillor.

CRM 12 March 2009