Action for Public Transport (N.S.W.) Inc.

A spokesman for APT, Allan Miles, said that while the bus lanes are a good start, it is not enough just to paint the pavement red and put a few signs up. "There must be a visible police presence as well as cameras," Mr Miles said, "and any parked cars must be quickly towed away." "In other parts of Sydney," he said, "a few arrogant motorists continue to ignore bus lane rules and create frustration both in bus passengers and other law-abiding motorists."

Mr Miles said that the new bus lanes will commence in some city streets after much of the cross city traffic has been put underground. "The reduced number of lanes should not cause motorists concern," he said. "Car drivers and passengers will see how quickly the bus passengers move and may be persuaded to leave their cars at home".

"The location of bus stops also needs some care," Mr Miles said. "The transfer of inbound Victoria Road buses from Bathurst Street to Druitt Street means that a convenient stop to interchange with trains at Town Hall Station has been lost. People wishing to catch a train will now have to walk back from the Queen Victoria Building," he said.

"The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) should also be converting the transit lane in Victoria Road to a bus lane," Mr Miles said. "The current transit lane is regularly abused, but transgressors would be much easier to spot in a bus lane." "Our observations indicate that up to 80% of the vehicles currently using the transit lane do so illegally," Mr Miles said, "delaying bus services, discouraging bus travel, and irritating complying motorists in the other lanes."

Mr Miles said that another way of speeding up CBD bus travel was to improve the ticket selling method. "Too many people still buy cash fares from the driver," he said, "and off-bus purchase of tickets needs to be further encouraged." Mr Miles said that while the proposed Tcard would have some benefits for regular travellers, it would have little appeal for infrequent users who will continue to buy cash tickets.

"The introduction of trams, or light rail, to the CBD needs more consideration," said Mr Miles. "An isolated loop in the city would require passengers to change from buses to trams at the city fringe. Apart from being a logistical nightmare, such a change would be extremely unpopular with passengers," he said. "A city loop needs to be part of a wider network."

Mr Miles said that the possibility of having a tram system at some time in the future should not be a reason for rejecting bus lanes now.

Contact: Allan Miles 9516-1906, or Kevin Eadie 9819-6052