One of our Facebook members posted this photo of a truck parked in the Carrington Road bike lane Aside from the new Lilyfield Road Cycleway, also approved at last night's Council meeting: a motion calling for urgent action on safety along the Carrington Road Cycleway in Marrickville.
The Carrington Road Cycleway holds a special place in Inner West cycling history — opened in 2014, it was the first separated cycleway built by the former Marrickville Council. But more than a decade on, safety problems persist. Vehicles regularly park in and across the cycleway, and drivers frequently fail to yield to cyclists at intersections. A recent ABC news report brought the issue to wider attention, and residents have been calling for action.
The human cost of inaction was made painfully clear last night by Sophie, a south Marrickville resident who used to commute to Sydenham station by bike via the Cooks River and Carrington Road. On the morning of 11 June 2025, a car hit her at the T-intersection with Renwick Street — a paint-only section of the bike lane with no kerb extension, no raised surface, and no signal to drivers that they need to slow down. She was thrown into the middle of Carrington Road at peak hour. "I was extremely lucky that no car ran me over as I was lying in the middle of the road," she told Council. Since the crash, she has observed the intersection firsthand: cars racing down the hill from parallel streets, barely pausing before turning, while delivery trucks park directly in the bike lane, forcing riders into traffic.
Councillor Mat Howard's motion, adopted by Council last night, directs staff to review signage, markings, kerb extensions and other traffic calming along the route. Importantly, it also requires Council to write to — and doorknock — all businesses on Carrington Road to make clear their obligations not to park on the cycleway, and to work through solutions with them directly.
Bike Marrickville will be consulted on options to improve cyclist safety, and a report with feasible improvements is due at the Local Transport Forum before October 2026. The motion also asks Council to consider a new pedestrian crossing at Renwick Street, improving access for students at Tempe High School.
We welcome this motion and thank Sophie for her courage in speaking last night. The Carrington Road Cycleway was a landmark when it was built — it deserves to work properly.
The Carrington Road Cycleway holds a special place in Inner West cycling history — opened in 2014, it was the first separated cycleway built by the former Marrickville Council. But more than a decade on, safety problems persist. Vehicles regularly park in and across the cycleway, and drivers frequently fail to yield to cyclists at intersections. A recent ABC news report brought the issue to wider attention, and residents have been calling for action.
The human cost of inaction was made painfully clear last night by Sophie, a south Marrickville resident who used to commute to Sydenham station by bike via the Cooks River and Carrington Road. On the morning of 11 June 2025, a car hit her at the T-intersection with Renwick Street — a paint-only section of the bike lane with no kerb extension, no raised surface, and no signal to drivers that they need to slow down. She was thrown into the middle of Carrington Road at peak hour. "I was extremely lucky that no car ran me over as I was lying in the middle of the road," she told Council. Since the crash, she has observed the intersection firsthand: cars racing down the hill from parallel streets, barely pausing before turning, while delivery trucks park directly in the bike lane, forcing riders into traffic.
Councillor Mat Howard's motion, adopted by Council last night, directs staff to review signage, markings, kerb extensions and other traffic calming along the route. Importantly, it also requires Council to write to — and doorknock — all businesses on Carrington Road to make clear their obligations not to park on the cycleway, and to work through solutions with them directly.
Bike Marrickville will be consulted on options to improve cyclist safety, and a report with feasible improvements is due at the Local Transport Forum before October 2026. The motion also asks Council to consider a new pedestrian crossing at Renwick Street, improving access for students at Tempe High School.
We welcome this motion and thank Sophie for her courage in speaking last night. The Carrington Road Cycleway was a landmark when it was built — it deserves to work properly.
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