Sydney reclaims streets as “places for people”

The City of Sydney has completed a $43.5m project to create a seamless, car-free path. It creates more than 9,000m² of additional space for people walking and dining in Sydney’s city centre.

The pedestrian boulevard aligns with the light rail tracks running the full length of George Street from Haymarket to Circular Quay.

Vision for pedestrianisation

The boulevard runs from Bathurst Street to Rawson Place and has been supported with more than $1.1m from the state government and $7m from the federal government.

Lord mayor Clover Moore said the City has had a “long-held vision” for a fully pedestrianised George Street: “The work to turn noisy, traffic-choked George Street into a pedestrian boulevard and central spine for the city began in 2007, when Jan Gehl’s report on public spaces suggested three city squares at Circular Quay, Town Hall and Railway Square, all linked by a light-rail and pedestrian boulevard.”

The City of Sydney further developed architect and urban design consultant Gehl’s idea as part of Sustainable Sydney 2030. In 2013, when the NSW Government agreed to the light rail project a concept design for George Street was adopted as part of the City of Sydney’s $220m contribution to the project.

“George Street has been completely transformed from a road clogged with buses and traffic to the thriving spine of our city”

“As we draw people back to our city in the wake of the Covid lockdowns, people can now move more freely from Hunter Street in the north down to Rawson Place in the south,” said Moore.

Minister for infrastructure, cities and active transport Rob Stokes said Sydney’s streets were being reclaimed as places for people.

“George Street has been completely transformed from a road clogged with buses and traffic to the thriving spine of our city where people can walk, linger, catch up with friends and enjoy a meal on the much wider footpath,” Stokes said.

“With Sydney buzzing again, people are embracing the changes we made during the pandemic and we will continue to look at ways we can improve the experience for all who visit our city.”