MINUTES FROM CENTENNIAL PARK WORKSHOP, WEDNESDAY 6TH MARCH 2002.

Present:  Centennial Park & Moore Park Trust: Andrew Ferris - Manager Operations, Vaughan Macdonald - Coordinator Transport and Access, Colin Cheshire Ranger, Cycle Centennial: Robert Barnes (St George CC), John Buckton (Randwick Botany CC), Steve Hobart (Sydney CC), Fergus Neilson (Eastern Suburbs CC)

The Centennial Parklands Transport and Access Plan is currently with the State Government for approval.  It is expected to be approved as an amendment to the Centennial Parklands Plan of Management by the end of April 2002.

 Key initiatives include:

• maintenance of single clockwise traffic flow (ie no contra flow)
• no parking meters
• no pedestrian crossings on Grand Drive
• no traffic calming devices (ie no speed humps) on Grand Drive

The issue of parking location is not yet decided and no action will be taken until funding is available and until there has been further public consultation on the matter. 

Three options will be considered:

• status quo (ie. parking on root bed/nature strip)
• parallel parking along outside perimeter
• parallel parking on inside perimeter

The latter two options accommodate the Trust's desire to properly landscape and enhance the nature strip between road bed and jogging/walking track.

Cycle Centennial's preferred option (supported by the Eastern Suburbs Police Local Area Command represented by Sergeant Michael Leary, Traffic Sergeant for the Eastern Suburbs Local Area Command) is for parallel parking on the inside perimeter (ease of safe pedestrian access to highest use zone inside Grand Drive, cyclist safety with vehicles in normal location passing on the right side).

The Trust continues to focus on ways to limit/reduce conflict between vehicles, cycles and pedestrians and is developing a Park Safety Program which will focus on educating all users to ensure a safe park environment.   Cycling remains a priority for the Trust.

The Trust emphasises that implementation of the Plan will be a five to ten year process and remains fully dependent on availability of funding and on Local Council (Waverley, Woollahra, South Sydney and Randwick) and transport agency cooperation..

Physical works are expected to commence during financial year 2002/03.

No cyclist or cycling body representative is included on the Park's Community Consultative Committee (CCC).  Cycle Centennial were advised to focus on making on-going input to the Park's "Sports Service Strategy" and maintaining the workshop programme.  Wayne Morgan represents sports users on the Community Consultative Committee and the Trust advised that Cycle Centennial can communicate with him to provide input into the CCC process.

Discussion suggests that "Bunch Cycling" will be endorsed as a legitimate recreational activity in Centennial Park.  Further discussion and negotiation will be required to iron out details (times/days/bunch size, etc).  Final approval will require that:

• a Cycling Code of Conduct be negotiated and agreed between CP and key cycling clubs (draft code provided by CC is being reviewed by CP)
• the adopted Cycling Code of Conduct be incorporated in the articles of each club
• bunch cycling involve only cycle club members monitored by "Bunch Captains" nominated by the key cycling clubs and known to the Park Rangers
• likely demand be estimated (a full list of clubs, club officers and current member numbers to be provided to CP by Cycle Centennial)