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

A SINGLE TRANSPORT AUTHORITY – ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO BACK

After years of consistently calling for one government agency to coordinate the services of all transport modes, the Transport Administration Amendment Act, secures this single agency.

The Act, which Parliament passed early last month, gives the Transport NSW Director General control of all transport infrastructure, policy, planning, and operational services. Now one budget will cover rail, bus, ferry, cycling, roads and freight and a single statutory Transport Advisory Council will replace all existing public transport boards.

Transport authorities will no longer be able to work at cross-purposes or with competing priorities and agendas, which provides the opportunity for better planning and delivery of public transport programs.

During debate I called for sustainability to drive transport planning and budgets, with legislated objectives that reflect the green transportation hierarchy, which puts pedestrians and cyclists first and single occupancy private vehicles last.

Depressingly, this long overdue logical reform has been undermined by the subsequent recreation of two ministries in the most recent ministerial reshuffle.

Information: My speech in Parliament: http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LA20100519029