SYDNEY—Sydney can expect unprecedented disruption in July, when the Catholic Church's World Youth Day turns the city into a combination of APEC and the Olympics.
The arrival of an estimated 225,000 pilgrims for the six-day event, featuring a papal mass by Benedict XVI, will force 300 road closures including about one quarter of the CBD.
But the state government and police stress there will be no need for a return of the controversial barriers that locked down chunks of Sydney during last year's APEC summit.
"Will we be using the APEC fence? No," NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said today.
"APEC was a security event.
"This is a celebration of youth and hope.
"For police it will be an exercise in crowd management and traffic control."
He said any barriers used would be the same as for other major events requiring crowd control.
The city's central thoroughfare George Street, for example, would be turned into a virtual pedestrian precinct shut to traffic from 10am to midnight for the week.
All police leave has been cancelled for the July 15-20 celebration, which will feature a papal mass for an estimated half million people at Randwick racecourse and a "stations of the cross" re-enactment of Jesus's final hours.
NSW Deputy Premier and Transport Minister John Watkins appealed to CBD workers to take the week off or work at home if possible, and certainly to leave their cars at home.
But he defended the imposition of further dislocation on residents of Australia's biggest city, saying World Youth Day (WYD) would generate a $200 million economic benefit and showcase Sydney to the world.
"Sydney simply has never seen anything like this before," said Mr Watkins.
"It's like the Olympics and APEC combined.
"It's like having six daytime New Year's Eve celebrations in a row.
"That's the size of it, and we want people to start thinking about it now."
The Iemma Government's WYD spokesperson, Kristina Kenneally, said it would be Sydney's "biggest celebration to date".
"The city will not be a place for cars," she said.
"It will be a huge imposition on some parts of Sydney, but Sydney will embrace it and show the world how to host the biggest of events.
"The pictures of the Pope on the harbour will be beamed to living rooms around the world."
Significant road closures include:
- George Street each day from 10am until midnight;
- Harbour bridge and approaches from 2am to 5pm on Saturday, July 19, as an estimated 180,000 people walk to Randwick;
- Parts of Macquarie Street and roads around Hyde Park and St Marys Cathedral during the weekdays;
- Roads around Randwick Racecourse and Surry Hills later in the week in the lead up to the papal mass on July 20.
For full details visit www.rta.gov.au