City heart: Organisers say the symbol is particularly relevant this year. ABC TV This year's New Year's Eve (NYE) celebrations in Sydney will show that the city has a heart, with a heart-shaped symbol on the Harbour Bridge. The first outline of the heart will appear during the family fireworks session at 9pm AEDT. More of the heart will appear each hour until the full fireworks display at midnight. Creative director of the evening, Wayne Harrison, says this year's theme has become even more relevant. "A lot of people have stopped me at functions or in the street and said, 'Hey, it seems to have a resonance now - I don't know whether you intended that in the first instance', but at 12 months out I couldn't have anticipated that," he said. "But yes, it does seem to have a resonance that this is the way that Sydney would actually like to think of itself - as a city of great heart, not of one where people are fighting on beaches. "I was incredibly impressed last year with the result of the tsunami relief effort," he said. "It said to me that Sydney is a city of great heart and I wanted to acknowledge that in some way. "We're also moving towards the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Bridge is at the heart of the harbour and it's at the geographic heart of Sydney - it seemed to me appropriate that we would draw attention to the bridge putting a very large heart on it." Police presence Meanwhile, New South Wales Deputy Police Commissioner, Andrew Scipione, says anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated during tonight's celebrations. More than 1,800 police will be in areas from the city to Manly in the north, Bondi in the east and Cronulla in the southern suburbs. The operation, aimed at quelling anti-social behaviour, will involve the riot police, the dog squad, officers on horses, the air-wing, highway patrol officers and water police. Commissioner Scipione says police will be keeping a close watch over new year's revellers. "I've told my police, they are under no misapprehension that if they see bad behaviour where people are committing crimes they're to arrest these people," he said. "There's only one thing you can gain from playing up on New Year's Eve, and that's a hangover and a night in a cell." Transport measures The New South Wales Government is encouraging revellers to leave the car at home tonight and catch public transport. State Transport Minister John Watkins says there are discounted tickets for bus and train travel in and around Sydney's CBD. He says there will be extra trains, buses and ferries but is still asking partygoers to be patient. "When those busy times are on, after the 9pm fireworks in particular, you're going to need to be a bit patient to get around the city and get home and remember that Sydney Harbour is closed from 8pm to well after midnight, so ferry services will be disrupted - so train and bus in particular is the way to go," he said. Extra train services have been scheduled to deal with the expected rush of revellers to the city tonight. Cityrail says people celebrating at Darling Harbour should alight at Central or Town Hall. St James, Town Hall or Martin Place stations are the best stations for Lady Macquarie's Chair. Cityrail spokesman Damian Psenika says Circular Quay station is probably best avoided. "If you're travelling to Sydney's harbour foreshores from 8pm onwards we're advising customers to alight at Wynyard, St James or Martin Place stations and walk to their destination to avoid overcrowding at Circular Quay," he said. The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) says there will be road closures and changed traffic conditions on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, in the city, Kings Cross and Pyrmont. The RTA says roads will close in the CBD from midday AEDT and will progressively reopen from 2am AEDT on New Year's Day. The RTA says that special event clearways will be in place across Sydney and illegally parked vehicles will be towed and the owner issued with a fine. Harbour celebrations Authorities have also urged people to take extra care if they plan to celebrate the new year on a spectator boat on Sydney Harbour. An exclusion zone will be put in place, with more than 3,000 boats expected to converge on the Harbour ahead of the fireworks display. Water police will be on patrol. New South Wales Minister for Ports and Waterways Eric Roozendaal says people should enjoy the festivities but also act responsibly. "It's important to remember that a combination of wind waves and weather can multiply the effects of alcohol and there must be somebody on board any boat who is under 0.5, who's able to control the boat if necessary," he said. Responsible partying The Australian Medical Association (AMA) says people should enjoy this New Year's Eve without putting themselves, and others, in danger. AMA president Dr Mukesh Haikerwal says partygoers should drink in moderation. "Too much alcohol can cause significant problems and the guidelines currently suggest four drinks for males and two drinks for females in a day are probably enough - beyond that it starts getting a bit dangerous," he said. "But concerns about having too much alcohol is that we actually lose control of ourselves and sometimes that affects people around us as well." Drug and alcohol experts are recommending revellers have a party buddy to keep friends out of harm's way. Odyssey House says a party buddy is like a designated driver. House spokesman James Pitts says a responsible friend will prevent others becoming vulnerable. "Particularly with drink-spiking, things like that, to have someone who is going to drink in moderation or not drink at all, who acts as a kind of angel so to speak," he said. Byron Bay Meanwhile, thousands of tourists have been told that they will have to behave when they celebrate New Year's Eve tonight at Byron Bay in northern New South Wales. Byron Bay is a well known tourist spot and Mayor Jan Barham wants visitors to respect the area and its residents. Councillor Barham says extra police and no alcohol zones are in place to make sure everyone has a good but safe time at Byron. "No Byron is not going to be the place for trouble - it's going to be a sea of tranquillity and enjoyment and what we've done to try and ensure that is have an alcohol prohibition area so people can feel really comfortable that it's going to be a safe place," she said.
