13 January 2025

The NSW Government has released an initial consultation report into the proposed Bulli bypass. While support for the project among respondents was strong, Greens Councillor Jess Whittaker said it also demonstrates there are other options to ease traffic congestion in Bulli that have community support and should be looked at first.

Jess Whittaker, one of the organisers of the ride, said the ride was a success, with a good turnout.

"We're just trying to create a positive culture around cycling in the Illawarra," Ms Whittaker said.

She said the event aimed to encourage people who hadn't been riding in a while to get the bike back out. Ms Whittaker herself got back into riding during the COVID pandemic when her children were starting primary school.

"It was the best thing I could have done," she said.

Story by Natalie Croxon in the Illawarra Mercury, 1 September 2024.

In 2021 Wollongong became the only Australian city with a  prestigious UCI Bike City label. While this title recognises a commitment to funding cycling at all levels, the issue of cycle parking or “end of trip facilities” has been sadly overlooked.

Cr Mithra Cox felt the need for such a document focusing on better ways to get around the CBD was a sign that Wollongong had grown up.

"If you become a grown-up city that has density in the urban centre, that has employment in the city centre that has people coming from the outer suburbs into the city, it's a place where people go out," Cr Cox said.

"That's when you need to start thinking about those things. And this is what we are grappling with as a city. It's us sort of growing up and becoming a proper grown-up city."

Story by Glen Humphries in the Illawarra Mercury, 24 June 2024.

Greens council candidate for Ward 2 Kit Docker called it "a win for
safety."

"Me personally, I think when it comes to crossing roads, we should
be protecting the most vulnerable," Mr Docker said.

"And there's been way too many close calls along here and, and even
one injury is far too much."

Story by Glen Humphries in the Illawarra Mercury, 20 June 2024.

Greens candidate for Ward 2 Kit Docker and candidate for Lord Mayor and Ward 1 Jess Whittaker joined local residents in Figtree to celebrate a new priority pedestrian crossing at Uralba street Figtree.

Greens councillor Mithra Cox criticised the Transport for NSW decision along similar lines, saying it meant residents who lived a few hundred metres away from the university would be forced to drive there.

"When Transport for NSW do things like this it really reduces trust for this council, for our community and for engaging with their processes," Cr Cox said.

Story by Kate McIlwain in the Illawarra Mercury, 18 May 2024.

Responding to the "loudest voices" wasn't the best way to deliver road safety improvements, Wollongong Councillor Mithra Cox said.

Cr Cox supported the motion, adding that when she first came on the council she wanted a pedestrian crossing on Murray Road so she could take her son to pre-school - he was now almost in high school and the crossing is still not there. She felt there had to be a better approach than just responding to individual requests for crossings and the like.

"It's about having a strategic view of what's better for everybody," Cr Cox said.

"I find it frustrating that instead of achieving this through coming at it from a strategic lens of having a policy in place for the places that have preschools and shops and hairdressers all in one spot that we then have to come and say, 'okay, we want it on this road'.

"I find it's not the right process and not the right way of going about it. And you end up just advocating for the loudest voices rather than having the best outcome for the community."

Cr Cox said there should be a pedestrian focus for Murray Road, rather than catering to cars. "The only people that go up that road are the people that live at the end of it that are getting out to Memorial Drive or to Pioneer Road," she said.

"It's more important that people are able to cross the road, go to the shops in a safe way, that all of those kids are able to get to preschool and school."

Story by Glen Humphries in the Illawarra Mercury, 7 May 2024.

Greens councillor Mithra Cox criticised the Transport for NSW decision along similar lines, saying it meant residents who lived a few hundred metres away from the university would be forced to drive there.

"When Transport for NSW do things like this it really reduces trust for this council, for our community and for engaging with their processes," Cr Cox said.

"We've been engaging with them over a number of years on the integrated transport strategy which has all sorts of platitudes about increasing active transport, increasing permeability of the city, integrating our transport strategy to theirs and when things like this happen it really makes us question why bother engaging.

"It's just empty words written on a piece of paper that mean nothing. Shock, horror, they did exactly what we all expected and they removed all of the things that were written in this strategy at the last moment.

"When they engage with us they need to do that in good faith and they need to stick to the things that they said they were going to do."

Story by Glen Humphries in the Illawarra Mercury, 9 April 2024.

Greens candidate for Wollongong Lord Mayor Jess Whittaker said the removal of the bridge was a sign Transport for NSW was "quitting on the cyclists".

"The pedestrian bridge was a small ask from the community," Ms Whittaker said.

"It was provided in the feedback Transport for NSW received during consultation. It should not be the first thing to be cut when they tighten the budget for this $390 million project.

"We can't sacrifice the benefits of walking and cycling and our good quality lives in Wollongong so we can have an impassable major traffic thoroughfare through the heart of Wollongong."

Story by Glen Humphries and Connor Pearce in the Illawarra Mercury, 7 April 2024.