A new road between MacDonald St and Mitchell Rd would funnel through traffic into Erskineville and Newtown’s quiet residential streets.

Coronation Property and the City of Sydney are planning to turn MacDonald St into a major through road.

This road is NOT needed for property access. There will already be three access roads from Mitchell Rd to the Ashmore precinct: Ashmore St, Alpha St (new) and Coulson St. The road’s main effect would be to open up local streets to through traffic from WestConnex, Euston Rd, King St and other major roads.

Independent traffic modelling indicates that rat-running via MacDonald Street could be seven minutes faster than using main roads, and avoid up to five sets of traffic lights.

That would create a stronger incentive for navigation apps and drivers to use our residential streets as rat runs – including Eve St, Fox Ave, Foundry Ln, Hadfields St, Coulson St and streets west of the rail line. Traffic volumes on these streets would then be expected to increase until congestion erodes the initial advantage.

Traffic calming won’t stop the through traffic. Navigation apps will send traffic along these streets day and night to avoid traffic lights and congestion on the main roads. Our streets will be inundated with trucks, motorcycles and cars, with more noise, traffic danger, and damage to parked vehicles. It will be less safe for children to walk to school, leading to more school traffic.

The new road would create a barrier between the Park Sydney Village shopping centre and the future Erskineville Village. It would affect business footfall and limit outdoor dining.

Neither Coronation Property nor the City has assessed or modelled this road's impacts on residential streets, safety, and amenity. Community consultation has been minimal.

We’re calling for this public space to become a people‑friendly plaza – the Ashmore Village Square. A safe place to walk, shop, dine, meet and play – not a conduit for through traffic.

Please sign our letter to Lord Mayor Clover Moore asking her to pause and consult the community on other options.

January 2026 update

In December 2025, we received a response from Lord Mayor Clover Moore: click here. It contains several arguments that are not supported by evidence and are misaligned with her and the City's policies and objectives. We have fact-checked these and some other misconceptions in this document: click here.

Original images: Google Maps and Coronation Property. Modified with Adobe Photoshop and Gemini AI.