Action for Public Transport (NSW)

In May 2012, the NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure issued a document titled “Sydney over the next 20 years: A Discussion Paper”. The paper is described as “the first step in the development of a new Metropolitan Strategy for Sydney”. The Discussion Paper will be followed by a draft Strategy for consultation, and a final Strategy by the end of 2012.

Public comments on the Paper were invited, with a closing date of 29th June 2012.

Action for Public Transport (APT) is a Sydney-based advocacy group representing public transport users

Scope of this Submission

Under the general topic of “Shaping Sydney” the Discussion Paper has nine categories. This submission will deal with only two: Centres in Sydney (p.16-17) and Providing efficient transport networks (p.18-19). As these two are inextricably linked, this submission deals with them both together.

Terminology

Firstly, we consider that, in the Discussion Paper, the terms “centre” and “corridor” have been use loosely, and have been used similarly in the NSW Long Term Transport Master Plan document.

The diagrams at the foot of page 10 make quite clear what a "centre" is and we agree. However, the Department has chosen to call a large region "South-west growth centre" and two regions in the north-west are called "North-west growth centre". The SW one should be called "SW growth region" and the others could be called NW growth regions, possibly A and B (or greater and lesser!). In any event, such careless use of the important word "centre" is confusing.

The diagram on page 18 shows "strategic transport corridors”. Again, this is confusing. Trips into centres are quite different from trips which try to avoid them. Motorways avoid centres; railways target them. These different trips should not be lumped together as to do so might result in, for example, resources going into a motorway when a railway would be the better answer.

Centres and Transport Networks

The basic idea of decentralisation seems good, but has considerable drawbacks if there are poor planning policies.

The Discussion Paper envisages a network of Regional Centres, Specialised Centres, Major Centres, Planned Major Centres, Potential Major Centres and Local Centres.

The question of transport facilities to all but the Local Centres needs to be comprehensively planned. Some of these centres have excellent transport modes already in place, e.g. Green Square (a Planned Major Centre), which has a railway station and good bus services, or Macquarie Park (a Potential Specialised Centre) which has a new railway station and excellent bus services.

Deficiencies

However other centres have much more deficient public transport services, and some of these could be classed as centres emerging from urban sprawl areas, where the planning has not been accompanied by the implementation of effective transport services. Where this has happened these centres are likely to be car dominated, i.e. the only effective way most workers, shoppers, students etc have of accessing these areas is by private car.

A basic principle which should be followed in all good transport planning is for there to be an effective equilibrium in transport services. Thus for the area in the Eastern Suburbs between Bondi Junction and its vicinity and Watsons Bay there is a choice of transport services. There are extensive bus services, but since the buses have to share road space with cars, trucks etc they can be seriously slowed down if the streets become congested. If this happens commuters have railway stations at Bondi Junction and Edgecliff, and ferry services at Rose Bay and Watsons Bay which they can rely on. Thus if the roads become so congested as to make journeys slow and painful, the equilibrium factor can take control and commuters can shift to either railways or ferries.

Likewise in locations like Green Square and Macquarie Park the railway stations which are centrally located in these areas mean that commuters have another choice of transport if roads become congested.

However due to past bad planning or cancellation of transport projects there is not such an equilibrium factor at play in areas like Castle Hill, Norwest, North West Growth Centre, Leppington and South West Growth Centre. Here at present all transport facilities are road based, and if roads become congested, there is no way of avoiding the consequences except by extending the commuter time period by early morning starts, later departures etc.

Thus there have been plans in the past for rail transport to the Hills Area in the northwest in 1999 and 2006, both of which were cancelled. Large industrial, office and retail complexes had been planned for this area on the understanding that they would be provided with railway stations when they were built. Instead the railways were cancelled while the building complexes went ahead, meaning that these areas were left to depend solely on road based services. This meant for most people either buses or private cars. In this situation the proliferation of private cars, and consequent road congestion was inevitable.

Warringah Peninsula

Another area which presents serious transport problems is the Warringah Peninsula. The Discussion Paper presents Frenchs Forest as a Potential Specialised Centre, and Brookvale and Dee Why as Major Centres. Transport services to the Warringah area are particularly deficient, and unlike the North West there are no plans for major improvements comparable to the planned NorthWest Railway. The Warringah area has limited connections with the rest of Sydney and there are only three road outlets. The most important of these by the Spit Bridge is a notorious bottleneck, and Military Road is seriously congested. Only the presence of the Manly ferry, the fact that there is a large retired element in the population, and at present a high proportion of the population working in the area are residents of the immediate area, have prevented traffic gridlock.

However if Brookvale and Dee Why are to go ahead as Major Centres and Frenchs Forest is to become a Specialised Centre, there will be much greater traffic into the Warringah area. This would be particularly serious with Frenchs Forest, because Specialised Centres on the lines of Macquarie Park draw their workers from all area of Sydney. Such centres should be centrally located, and have excellent transport links. Frenchs Forest has neither.

Parramatta

The case of Parramatta is slightly different. Railway services to Parramatta from the Southwest region were improved by the erection of the Y-Link at Granville to provide direct train services from the Liverpool, Fairfield, Campbelltown etc areas to Parramatta without commuters having to change trains at Granville as was necessary in the past. However the usefulness of this Y-Link has been greatly reduced by a massive cut-back in services to a couple of direct trains in the peak morning period and a couple in the peak evening period. Thus a great expansion of the Parramatta business centre has taken place with a lot of commuters having to change trains at Granville. The provision of a better route has not been followed by the provision of regular all-day services.

Business Parks

Another problem is a trend to business parks rather than regional centres. These are biased in their locations and design to rely on commuting by private car. The planning requirements for these business parks should be co-ordinated with the planning of the Centres to maximise the use of public transport, or otherwise the same problem of the proliferation of private cars and traffic congestion will again result.

Thus it is important for the Government to press ahead with plans for new transport facilities like the NorthWest Rail and the SouthWest Rail to take the weight of transport away from the roads.

Improved CBD Access

However these new railways will necessitate new plans further in the future if congestion on the main railways to the Sydney Central Business District is not to result. Nobody will gain if these new services result in slower services on other lines towards the City, and the Metropolitan Strategy Team will have to take into account proposals for improvement of rail services to the CBD, including a new Harbour Crossing.

Conclusion

In the meantime it would be prudent of the Government to concentrate on the expansion of these Centres in areas which already have excellent transport facilities, such as Green Square and Macquarie Park. These can easily cope with greatly increased commuter traffic because of their location and the new transport facilities.

Areas like the South West Growth Centre and North West Growth Centre require both new rail services and also expanded rail services to the Central Business District. Parramatta, on the other hand requires first of all the restoration of most of the Y-Link Cumberland Line services which had been axed in the past, and new transport links to growing areas in the northwest, and southwest.

We would be happy to provide further clarification of the above matters if required.


Yours faithfully,



Allan Miles
Secretary
Action for Public Transport (NSW)