Riders in southern Sydney are calling for the reopening of a disused service tunnel under the F6 at Waterfall to provide a safer route for bikes.
Councillor Natalie Mort made the call in a Notice of Motion submitted to the Georges River Council meeting on 28 April.
She was moved to do so following the death of her friend Gail Allen, an experienced rider with whom Councillor Mort had ridden for many years as a fellow member of the Cronulla Triathlon Club.
Allen was hit trying to cross two high-speed lanes of traffic on the Princes Motorway at Waterfall and reach the Old Princes Highway on the other side.
"This is a manoeuvre that many cyclists have no choice but to make if they want to continue their ride on a quieter, safer road heading south," said Councillor Mort.
"The current route design at this point is quite frankly unforgiving. With vehicles increasing speeds from 80km to 110km this action has become a notorious blackspot for cyclists."
The route is a popular one, with residents from the Georges River regularly riding from Oatley, crossing the Como Bridge and heading south to the Royal National Park.
The proposed solution is to reopen the disused service tunnel and road connection to the Old Princes Highway under the F6 at Waterfall from the southbound lane.
The old tunnel has been closed since the 1990s but is in reasonable condition. No additional infrastructure would need to be installed, but concrete and earth barricades would need to be removed and the tunnel would need a general clean-up.
In her address to the Georges River Council, Councillor Mort asked that the council write to the NSW Minister for Roads, Jenny Aitchison, and the federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King, advocating for the reopening of the tunnel.
She also requested that the council ask neighbouring councils Sutherland Shire, Bayside, Canterbury–Bankstown, Inner West, Waverley, Woollahra and Randwick to put forward similar motions.
Councillor Mort noted that "opening the service tunnel could not only provide a safer alternative for cyclists, it would strengthen our region's active transport network, enhance connectivity and align with the broader state and federal commitment to support sustainable and safe transport options."
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