MEMBERS of western Sydney's cycling fraternity are angry that a two-kilometre section of the heritage listed Lower Prospect Canal cycleway has been closed to allow construction of a six-lane road.
Greystanes residents and keen cyclists Fred Crowe and Steve Norton are so concerned they are considering reviving the disbanded Canal Reserve Action Group.
The group fought a 10-year battle to preserve the heritage listed canal and establish what has become one of Sydney's most popular and picturesque cycleways.
Their dream was realised by 2004 when the State Government spent more than $24million to purchase and convert the canal into a 7.4kilometre pedestrian and bicycle path from Prospect Reservoir to Guildford.
The group won an Australia Beautiful award for its efforts for the environment and, believing the work was finished, disbanded in 2004.
But by late April, a security fence blocked the path and bulldozers demolished a section of the heritage canal, formerly part of Sydney's water supply system, to allow for construction of a new road.
``We were pretty shattered at what's happened. They've chopped [the cycleway] in half,'' Mr Norton said.
The cyclists are worried there appears to have been no attempt to construct a bridge over the road, which was a condition of the July 2007 approval for the work by Planning Minister Frank Sartor and remains in diagrams on planning documents.
The cycleway has been closed between the car park at Prospect Reservoir and the exit ramp near Hyland Road, Greystanes until November.
Cyclists are forced to traverse The Horsley Drive, a busy major thoroughfare, while Mr Crowe says some have illegally used the Parramatta to Liverpool bus transit-way.
Mr Crowe says the Roads and Traffic Authority should have built the bridge to link the cycleway before constructing the road.
Holroyd Mayor John Brodie said the bridge was ``not an option but a necessity''.
``The current redirection onto a busy road is unsafe time is of the essence,'' Cr Brodie said.
``Maybe I am an optimist but I cannot conceive any level of government would allow [a cycleway] crossing a six-lane highway.''
Cr Brodie said he had contacted the office of Roads Minister Eric Roozendaal on Monday and was confident negotiations would soon see the bridge constructed.
The chief executive of the lobby group Bicycle NSW, Alex Unwin, said the work reduced the amenity of the bike path, making journeys a lot longer and more dangerous.
``This facility is used regularly by riders from all over Sydney,'' Mr Unwin said. ``The sudden nature of the demolition is of great concern to us.''
The road is part of the redevelopment of Boral's former Prospect quarry for its Southern Employment Lands industrial estate.