A confusing sign at Sydney’s new ‘spaghetti interchange’ has added to traffic chaos as 16.6km of new tunnels – known as the Rozelle Interchange – opened to motorists for the first day of the week.
The NSW Government had warned the new interchange could lead to six months of increased congestion as motorists get used to the new setup, with Premier Chris Minns admitting one sign in particular was not making things easier for motorists on Monday.
The new interchange in Sydney’s inner west opened on Sunday after years of construction and the state government has released videos teaching drivers how to navigate each of the routes.
While the first motorists passed through the interchange with minimal incidents on Sunday, a single sign was stationary during the first morning rush hour on Monday.
The sign at the entrance to the new 1.1km tunnel, which bypasses Victoria Road and links the Iron Cove and Anzac Bridges and is the only part of the interchange that is free to use, told commuters they would have to pay to to make use of it.
The incorrect signage forced motorists to change lanes at the last minute to avoid the bypass, leading to gridlocked traffic stretching from Victoria Road.
A single sign for the Rozelle Interchange in Inner West Sydney has led to a standstill after telling motorists they would pay a toll to use the Victoria Road Bypass, a toll-free road (pictured)
Speaking about 2GB on Monday morning, NSW Premier Chris Minns said the exchange was “obviously… confusing – many cars’ GPS hasn’t caught up.”
He said the government will “change that sign”, while in the meantime portable electronic signs will be used to tell commuters they do not have to pay tolls on the bypass.
A local resident expressed his anger over the accident on social media, saying: “Traffic has never been this bad.”
“What the muppets thought the new setup would work,” he wrote.
Minns is confident the interchange will curb traffic once motorists get used to the new routes.
“I think traffic behavior will catch up, but obviously we want to make sure that there are no accidents and no delays for people who think you have to pay a toll,” he said.
Live traffic footage showed motorists at a standstill on Monday morning, stretching from the sign at the entrance to the bypass well beyond the Iron Cove Bridge (pictured)
The Minns government warned the interchange could lead to six months of increased congestion as motorists get used to the new 16.6km of tunnels at the interchange (pictured)
Just under a month before the interchange’s opening, the state government released a dozen baker’s videos demonstrating how to navigate each of the confusing routes.
The videos show motorists from the driver’s perspective how to navigate the 10 miles (16.6 kilometers) of new tunnels, with instructions appearing every step of the way.
Transport for NSW coordinator general Howard Collins said the videos will “help people get familiar with the new routes”.
However, a local resident told Ny Breaking Australia that the videos wouldn’t help much as she and her friends would end up just relying on their phone’s directions.
“I just don’t think it’s realistic to try to retrieve a video I’ve previously watched while I’m focused on other drivers who probably haven’t watched it,” she said.
More to come.
