A "perfect storm" of problems caused traffic chaos in central Sydney on the first day of the working year, acting Minister for Transport Duncan Gay says.
Apologising for the major delays, in which passengers were stuck on buses for up to three hours on Monday, the minister vowed that lessons would be learnt.
The problems came as road closures were put in place in the CBD for preparatory work on the South East Light Rail project.
A cable was then hit by work crews at the corner of Bridge and Grosvenor streets which stopped traffic lights from working, delaying buses travelling into the city.
A truck breakdown during peak hour in the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, a motorcycle breakdown in Milson's Point and a two-car accident on the Warringah Freeway approaching the bridge also contributed to the commuter nightmare.
"We know there were problems. Where we deserve a good kick is if we don't learn from those problems," Mr Gay told reporters on Monday afternoon.
"I am absolutely determined that we will learn from what happened today. I'm not happy and I'm sure the travelling public's not happy."
He advised commuters to use trains where possible and admitted delays could be expected for the rest of the week.
A number of road closures has been in place since December 27 while investigatory work is carried out for the future light rail construction.
Traffic in the CBD is at its lightest at this time of year and the closures will remain in place until January 12.
Transport for NSW says it is now refining its traffic management plan to help ease the flow of traffic through the city for the rest of the period.
Share
