APTNSW logo

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

P O Box K606
Haymarket NSW 1240
19 May 2017


Mulgoa Road / Castlereagh Road Corridor Upgrade
Roads and Maritime Services
PO Box 973
Parramatta NSW 2124
email: mulgoaroadupgrade@rms.nsw.gov.au

Mulgoa Road & Castlereagh Road

Submission on Corridor Upgrade

Action for Public Transport (NSW) is a transport advocacy group active in Sydney since 1974. We promote the interests of beneficiaries of public transport; both passengers, and the wider community. We make this submission on the Preferred Options Report dated April 2017.

The Preferred Options Report presents congestion on Mulgoa Rd and Castlereagh Rd as a road problem. That is true but we aren't just building roads. We are building cities, in this case Penrith City. Penrith Council perceives Penrith as the centre of a city which reaches as far as Werrington County, Cranebrook, Emu Plains, Leonay and Glenmore Park. The congestion is a transport problem and not just a road problem.

The proper way to address transport problems in cities is with transport and land-use solutions. Unfortunately the Preferred Options Report ignores everything except widening the two roads whose narrowness is presented as the problem. Overwhelming experience in cities round the world is that road widening isn't the solution to congestion problems. Widening can actually exacerbate the road congestion problem due to induced/generated traffic.

The Penrith area has already shown interest in having a light rail network. Recent announcements about Western Sydney Airport should provide further impetus for permanent solutions to transport problems. We recommend that the proposed road "upgrade" not proceed unless and until identified as part of a proper transport plan for the Penrith LGA.


web counter