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| Action for Public Transport (N.S.W.) Inc. |
| P O Box K606 |
| Haymarket NSW 1240 |
| 25 November 2024 |
Action for Public Transport (NSW) or "APTNSW" is a transport advocacy group which has been active in Sydney since 1974. We promote the interests of beneficiaries of public transport - passengers and the wider community alike.
This submission discuss the draft 2050 Master Plan of Sydney Olympic Park, available at https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/plans-for-your-area/state-significant-precincts/sydney-olympic-park.
To have a substantial Sydney suburb so relatively free of cars is something that Action for Public Transport would welcome. But we aren't convinced it will happen.
In the first place, Australians aren't used to that density. There are railway stations surrounded by residential towers (for example Wolli Creek) but there won't be thirty thousand residents in the towers. The whole Wolli Creek population is less than half that according to Bayside Council Community Profile1.
Secondly, Australians have never before been regulated like they'd have to be for the draft Master Plan's policies to work. It might work in Singapore but attitudes would need to change for it to work here.
Finally, the problem with forcing high public transport use is that it limits people to jobs that can be reached by public transport in (say) 45 minutes. That's a pretty severe restriction for so many people. What about people who need their cars during the day or tradies who can't function without a ute full of equipment?
We don't think the plan can work without a massive sustained expansion of public transport services connecting Olympic Park in every direction. Can high-capacity rail links be provided to Ryde, the Epping-Chatswood tech area, Bankstown, Hurstville and Miranda? And links to KFS and Western Sydney Airport?
Similarly, the vexed issue of how much parking to provide won't go away.
We suggest making the plan contingent on a massive expansion of public transport within 20km of Olympic Park. Also, the planners of the metro network would need to change their policies so that future metro lines are built with effective interchanges and don't all radiate from Central. The pricing of parking is obviously crucial. There may be a case for (de)congestion pricing.