By Andrew Chuter
Forty years ago, Erskineville residents rose up to defend their narrow streets from an automotive invasion, and won.
From the early 1970s, Erskineville residents had been suffering from excessive through traffic. In 1971, two people were killed on Union Street, and residents began petitioning their council for street closures.
This was during a time of growing resident group influence and successful green bans. Street closures, such as in Martin Place, Paddington and North Sydney, were proving popular and successful in taming traffic.
After endless traffic studies and rounds of consultation, a number of Erskineville streets were closed on a trial basis from mid-1984.
Then, suddenly, on Christmas Eve 1985, road barriers in 11 streets in Erskineville, Alexandria, Newtown and Redfern were ordered to be removed by the Minister for Local Government, Kevin Stewart.
Within a few hours, residents set up their own blockades and started planning further action. A “six-day war” began where police and council workers repeatedly removed the barriers, and residents re-erected them.
During the holiday period, all the major TV stations broadcast daily updates on the struggle and there was extensive coverage in the newspapers. Council employees, some of whom were local, were reluctant to remove the barriers and instated a black ban. It proved a major embarrassment for the Labor NSW government.
Photo above unknown newspaper, undated, provided by a local resident.A public meeting was held in an overflowing Erskineville Town Hall, which heard speeches from Andrew Refshauge, Nick Greiner, locals and councillors. MLC Judith Walker was howled out of the hall after defending the government’s decision.
On December 30, a moratorium was won, and the road closures were reinstated pending a state Traffic Authority investigation.
A week later, a special meeting of Sydney City Council was held to debate the issue.
Residents Toni Joyce and Rod Hayes spoke and were supported by the newly elected team of independent councillors, which included Frank Sartor, Jack Mundey and Clover Moore. Strong motions to support the closure campaign were voted down by the Labor majority.
Over the following months, residents wrote their own detailed traffic study, “Erkospeak”, and went up and down local streets canvassing the opinions of their neighbours. Support for the closures was near unanimous.
Eventually, the investigation found in the residents’ favour and nearly all the closures were allowed to stay. Subsequent figures showed a significant decrease in through traffic and injuries from incidents.
Today, these inner streets of Erskineville are quiet, pleasant and tree-lined. Pocket parks resulting from street closures in Angel, Rochford, Binning and Sydney Streets are oases of calm. In nearby Alexandria, the closures of Belmont and Lawrence Streets provide focal points for community and a neighbourhood vibe that sees families turn out for Halloween and the occasional street party.
Unfortunately, since then, continued government failure to properly expand quality public transport, and a bipartisan penchant for multi-billion-dollar motorways like WestConnex has resulted in even greater car-centric lifestyles than in the 1980s. Pockets of resistance from those determined to drive everywhere and expect plentiful parking, backed by the cars-first mentality of Transport for NSW, is making it hard to win new and much-needed street closures.
The growing flood of traffic is unsustainable in respect of the climate emergency. By 2030, transport will be Australia’s largest source of carbon emissions. The Climate Council is recommending a halving of car use within the next 5 years in order to reach Australia’s climate targets.
Erskineville’s road wars inspired the next generation of resident activists, who went on to win Green Bans Park, save the public housing estate and the public school from closure. A new generation must keep up the tradition to help secure a liveable neighbourhood and a sustainable future.
At 7:30pm Wednesday November 26th at Erskineville Town Hall, Friends of Erskineville will host a public meeting to mark the 40th anniversary of the street closure battles.