A Fairy Meadow fruit market owner says he's been "hung out to dry" by the cycling world championships arriving in Wollongong next month, estimating road closures will cost the business up to $1.5 million in lost takings.
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This is despite being able to negotiate a detour where cars can enter through one driveway and leave via another.
Leisure Coast Fruit Market and Deli co-owner Michael Braidotti said he may be forced to stand down much of his workforce in order to withstand the financial hit when the Princes Highway and Cabbage Tree Lane, both part of the main race course, close over nine days from September 17.
While there will be two half days where the roads open, he said barriers in the middle will prevent people turning right into his driveway.
The Mercury understands Coles, Aldi and Woolworths retain full access of their customer car parks and loading areas throughout the event, and McDonald's and KFC have negotiated a contraflow traffic arrangement.
While Leisure Coast was initially told it would have no access to either of its driveways, it has since been granted a single lane from Fairy Avenue to Cabbage Tree Lane for customers to access the fruit shop via a long, winding detour, before exiting northbound on the Princes Highway.
"Through several meetings with Leisure Coast and understanding the more detailed operations of their wholesale and retail business, we have worked together to maintain vehicle access to the premises," Wollongong 2022 CEO Stu Taggart said.
"This opportunity required validation and agreement from all event partners including NSW Police, Transport for NSW, Wollongong City Council and the UCI, and we're grateful for everyone's understanding and cooperation.
"Where possible, we have sought to work with businesses affected by the temporary road closures to minimise the impact or identify potential alternatives that support their ongoing activity."
However, Mr Braidotti has described the detour as a "rat run", which he fears won't make much of a difference to his bottom line.
"I estimate we're going to lose about 80 per cent of the retail business, maybe 70 per cent, valued at $1.2 to $1.5 million turnover for the duration of the event," he said.
"As a business if it benefited the broader community and the people of the Illawarra, we'll cop it.
"The people of the Illawarra have been good to us, and it's been a great town to do business in, we're going on 50 years.
"My main concern is my staff. I just want them to be able to come in and do some work and get paid, but I'm not sure that's going to happen.
"We really feel like we've been hung out to dry."
Mr Braidotti had met with race organisers twice since December last year but decided to pursue legal action.
"We had the first meeting, then the second meeting and that's when I realised okay, you're shutting us down," Mr Braidotti said.
Legal action proved futile because Wollongong's UCI event falls under the state's Major Events Act, which means no compensation is payable.
"My lawyer basically said you haven't got a leg to stand on, you're gone, forget it," he said.
Mr Braidotti's solicitor noted in correspondence dated March 8 that the "UCI are willing to work with us in order to incur the least disruption to your business during that nine-day event".
While Mr Braidotti concedes the organisers have "always been willing to talk" and have conducted site visits at his store, he said they have not been able to find an alternative that "won't impact on the family business in such a brutal way".
"I was told to think outside the box and set up a market stall in the car park, or trade in the hotel next door," he said.
He rejected both options because they failed to address his concerns about motor vehicle access and also posed food safety risks.
"Another suggestion was, 'Why don't you get your customers to park at Towradgi Beach Hotel and operate a shuttle bus and bring people on the shuttle bus?'
"I said, 'right with bub in tow, pram, kids, c'mon mate? How long since you've been shopping?'"
Another option would be to open at night, but Mr Braidotti said he does not have the staff to operate around the clock and there were no assurances that trolley shoppers would come out of an evening.
What he wanted from organisers was two lanes on the southern side of the Princes Highway for multi-directional traffic to enter and leave his driveway, however this was ultimately refused because two-and-a-half lanes are required for the bikes.
Instead, he has been granted a detour that will take southern customers from Memorial Drive to Towradgi Road, the Princes Highway, Balgownie Road, Foothills Road, then Balmoral, Russell and Dymock streets and onto Hopewood Crescent and Fairy Lane, at the end of which customers turn onto Cabbage Tree Lane to enter the fruit market.
They can then exit along the Princes Highway in a northbound direction.
"They gave us this back door - a detour that's about seven sets of traffic lights, 17 minutes and seven kilometres, and that's just one way," Mr Braidotti said.
"They think they can put 1500 to 2800 car movements a day on that street?
"It won't happen, it can't happen."
He now plans to switch the wholesale operation over to night shift which will allow him to keep on 28 workers, however he said he cannot guarantee regular hours for his retail staff.
Mr Braidotti would like to be see some financial relief for businesses affected, suggesting a temporary reduction of payroll tax would help.
"The government brought (the race) here as a promotion, so it should compensate the people in some way."
He would also like to know why Wollongong City Council didn't consult the community before green-lighting the event.
"It didn't ask the people do you want this disruption," he said.
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