Action for Public Transport (NSW) Inc.

Since our last report APTNSW has continued to take every opportunity to bring attention to the benefits of better public transport for the residents of NSW.

Campaigning

Ferries

Our major campaign this year has been in defence of the Freshwater class of vessels plying the route between Circular Quay and Manly. Named after beaches in Sydney's north, the first of the double-ended ferries, the Freshwater, was launched in 1982, followed by the Queenscliff less than a year later, the Narrabeen in 1984 and the Collaroy in 1988.

There was widespread consternation at the government's announcement in October 2020 that all but one vessel would be "replaced" by much smaller Emerald class ferries (recently arrived from China and Indonesia and now undergoing quality testing).

APTNSW has pointed out that the Emerald class vessels do not suit the Manly service, which famously crosses Sydney Heads and requires vessels capable of coping with ocean conditions - like the Freshwater Class ferries we already have. Our spokesman on ferry transport, Graeme Taylor, has made regular appearances in the media, ably arguing the case for retention of the Freshwaters.

The government agreed to retain one, then two, of these iconic ferries. We continue to campaign to save all four.

Follow us on Twitter for updates.

Country rail

We love our cyclist friends. Cycling is the ideal way to cover the "last mile" between homes and railway stations. Many of our members are regular or occasional cyclists. But we don't think "rail trails" should be used as a Trojan horse to remove actual rail services or stymie their reintroduction.

The win-win answer is to run cycle tracks alongside rail lines, safely of course. That opens up the opportunity to use cycle power as far as you can, then jump on the train if/when you need to. Everyone from the super-fit to the occasional cyclist can be catered for, without any disadvantage to locals who need their trains.

So we're supporting the campaign against the needless destruction of the Casino to Murwillumbah rail line to accommodate a cycle trail. See https://northernriversrailwayactiongroup.org/our-vision.

Submissions

We were also kept very busy responding to calls for submissions on a variety of transport and planning issues:

• Sydney Metro called for public comment on its draft Central Station Design and Precinct Plan in November 2019.

  APTNSW made a submission recommending expansion of the Devonshire St pedestrian tunnel with connections to the paid area around the southern ends of both the Metro platforms and suburban platform 16.

• APTNSW's submissions on the Central State Significant Precinct draft strategic vision and western gateway rezoning proposal can be seen here.

• APTNSW recommended firm measures to keep most school-related cars out of the narrow roads around the Lindfield site of the former UTS campus, now a K-12 school expected to grow to 2100 students.

• During the year, the Commonwealth Parliament's Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities inquired into options for financing faster rail and invited submissions. Our submission can be accessed here. See also https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/ITC/TransportConnectivity/Report_1.

• The NSW Independent Pricing and Review Tribunal issued a report recommending Opal fares from 2020 to 2024. Our submission can be seen here.

• Our submission to the Environmental Impact Statement on the Western Harbour Tunnel and Warringah Freeway Upgrade can be seen here.

• Our submission on stage 2 of the draft North Sydney Business District Public Domain Strategy can be seen here.

• Our submission on the Redfern railway station upgrade (new southern concourse) can be seen here.

• Sydney Metro West progressed to the Environmental Impact Statement stage in June 2020. Our submission argued for additional stations at Pyrmont and Camellia. An additional station at Pyrmont was announced later.

• Between August and October 2020 the Independent Pricing and Review Tribunal of New South Wales released draft reports and recommendations on rural bus fares. See https://www.ipart.nsw.gov.au/Home/Industries/Transport/Reviews/Rural-and-Regional-Buses/Rural-and-Regional-Bus-Fares-2021-2025?qDh=2.

  Our submissions can be seen here and here.

• T4NSW sought public feedback on plans for the ground above the Westconnex Rozelle interchange, to be known as "Rozelle Parklands". APTNSW's submission can be seen here.

• Draft guidelines for economic appraisal of freight were published by the federal department of Transport and Infrastructure in October (Australian Transport Assessment and Planning Guidelines - ATAP). Our submission on the guidelines can be read here.

• The proposed metro railway connecting St Marys with the Western Sydney Airport reached the stage of exhibition of an environmental impact statement. Our submission on the EIS can be seen here. Our view is that travel distances are likely to be long, and the line would be more suited to heavy rail fully integrated with the existing rail system (with a short extension to Leppington). If it is to be a metro, there should be more stations, to serve more people.

  We also believe that provision should be made in the airport structure plan for a fast rail link to Canberra, in the longer term.

In the pipeline

• Illawarra-Shoalhaven transport plan. (Submissions due by 29 January 2021).
• Beaches Link EIS. Documents are at https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/project/10456. (Submissions due by 1 March 2021).

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR VALUED MEMBERS. WE'LL BE BACK IN 2021.

14 December 2020