Clover Moore's sneaky bid to ban cars from the CBD City of Sydney artist's impression of how the Town Hall area would look if George St was transformed to a pedestrian boulevard. Lord Mayor Clover Moore / Pic: Attila Szilvasi Source: The Daily Telegraph DRIVERS could be locked out of an even longer stretch of George St when the CBD light-rail line is built, under new plans announced by the City of Sydney. The council yesterday unveiled its plans for a new 25,000sq m tree-lined pedestrian boulevard - running almost the entire length of George St - that it hopes will one day rival New York's Time Square and Paris's Champs-Elysees. As part of the $1.6 billion light-rail line from Circular Quay to Randwick, more than 200 new deciduous trees will be planted along George St, while the boulevard will gain "dramatic" new lighting, street furniture and artworks. But the exhibition entitled Next Stop: 21st Century George Street, also revealed the council wants the new pedestrian-only zone extended at either end so cars are blocked all the way from Liverpool St in the south through to Bridge St at the northern end. The state government had previously agreed only to ban cars from George St between Bathurst and Hunter Sts. The council has even produced new digital images showing light-rail vehicles running through a pedestrianised area outside the George St cinemas. That area, under the current government's plan announced last December, should still be open to cars. Lord mayor Clover Moore said 93 per cent of journeys in the CBD were made on foot and it was time pedestrians got a better deal. "We've made no secret of our desire to see George St pedestrianised further from Liverpool to Bridge Sts, and our public memorandum of understanding with the NSW government says as much," Ms Moore said. The City and the NSW government are working together on the project. We will finalise a development agreement this year defining how much of George Street will be reclaimed for pedestrians. Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian moved quickly yesterday to pour cold water on Ms Moore's plans. "The government has no intention of changing from the project announced last year, which includes pedestrianisation only between Bathurst St and Hunter St, leaving 60 per cent of George St open to cars," she said. A lot of work has been done in the development of this project, including round tables with stakeholders and councils, and the project we announced late last year is the one we are getting on and building. NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said motorists were concerned about how the closure of George St would affect the rest of the city. It's impossible to know what the impact is going to be with the current proposal because there's been no information. It's very hard to say what will happen if you close more of George St," he said. The exhibition is open for public comment until May 3.