Update: Questions for organiers have now closed. Answers will be published in the near future.
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Whether it's schools, hospitals, rubbish collection, or how residents and workers will get to their houses and businesses while the 11 World Championship races take place on public roads, there are a lot of questions swirling about exactly how Wollongong will operate this September.
And, with just over five weeks until races start, UCI organisers are going to try to answer them.
This week Illawarra Mercury readers are invited to submit any questions - big and small - about the event online or via social media, and the team from Wollongong 2022 has promised to give us answers.
So, whether the bike race will affect your home or business, or you just want more information on how to get involved, jump online and let us know what you're wondering about.
Additionally, this weekend, residents and businesses in affected areas should receive a new flyer containing information on road closures, parking, special event clearways and major access roads.
In it, Wollongong 2022 boss Stu Taggart and Wollongong council's general manager Greg Doyle have warned that the "city will not operate as it usually does".
"An Olympic-scale event will bring new experiences and unfamiliar challenges for our community," their letter to the community says.
"We're so excited to showcase our beautiful city to the world and are thankful to everyone across the city for helping welcome the world to Wollongong this September.
"The event will leave a lasting legacy for Wollongong as we continue to build on our status as the only UCI Bike City in the Southern Hemisphere."
"Plan ahead" is a repeated theme of the advice for residents and workers in the city ahead of the bike rice, with a lengthy checklist instructing people to consider alternative routes and detours, active transport and longer hours away from home.
Advice includes:
- Adjust your regular travel schedule - can you leave earlier in the morning, or return home after 6pm?
- Re-schedule any non-essential appointments to before or after the event period
- Discuss your work arrangements with your workplace and consider if working remotely is an option for a day, two, or the week?
- If you live on the race routes can you park on a nearby street, or at a friend's house, so you can access your vehicle during race times?
"We understand that event week will be challenging for some of the community, and every circumstance is unique," the flyer says.
"While these suggestions will not work for everyone, there may be some options that make event week more manageable."
To plan for the changed traffic conditions, full road closure and clearway details for the nine days of racing and training, including locations, dates and times are shown in an interactive map below.
While not all roads are directly impacted by the event, expect congestion and allow extra travel time. During the event, find real-time updates via livetraffic.com or the Live Traffic NSW app.
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Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
