The latest Transport for NSW plan for the Oxford Street Cycleway will eliminate nearly all right-hand turns heading east through Paddington. Drivers travelling towards Bondi will find no right turn at Greens Road, no right turn at Oakley Road, and no right turn into Lang Road. The last remaining right turn will be at South Dowling Street, and the next won’t appear until York Road in Bondi Junction.
A Suburb Cut in Half
This effectively transforms Oxford Street into a one-way corridor, a freeway running straight through Paddington, dividing the community north and south. Residents who live or work on either side of Oxford Street will lose the ability to cross easily, whether by car, delivery van, or emergency vehicle.
For local businesses, that means fewer customers able to access their shops or cafés. For residents, it means longer detours through already congested backstreets just to reach their homes. For everyone else, it means more time in traffic, more frustration, and more pollution idling in queues.
Access to the Cross City Tunnel Severed
The implications of these turn bans extend well beyond Paddington itself. With no right turns permitted at Oatley Road or Lang Road, residents living north of Oxford Street, in Paddington, Surry Hills, and Woollahra, will no longer be able to access the Cross City Tunnel via Moore Park Road.
This critical east-west connection serves thousands of drivers daily, linking the eastern suburbs directly to the city and beyond. Blocking right-hand turns removes one of the few practical routes available and will force traffic into longer, more circuitous detours through local streets, increasing congestion, emissions, and travel times for everyone.
Local Knowledge Ignored
People who live in Paddington understand how interconnected these streets are. The small side roads like Greens, Oakley, and Lang aren’t optional shortcuts, they’re vital connectors that keep traffic flowing, deliveries moving, and emergency services responsive. Removing right turns might look tidy on a planning diagram, but it doesn’t work in the real world of Paddington’s narrow, heritage-lined streets.
A Call for Smarter Design
The Paddington Project supports safer cycling and better transport, but not at the expense of access and community connection.
Good planning must balance all modes of movement, cars, buses, bikes, and pedestrians, while respecting how locals actually live and travel.
Paddington needs thoughtful design, not a one-size-fits-all blueprint that effectively builds a freeway through one of Sydney’s most historic suburbs.
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