Friday, April 30, 2010

Other Submissions to the Metropolitan Transport Plan

Western Sydney Community Forum has made a submission to the Plan which can be read here: Western Sydney Community Forum (164kb PDF)

Action For Public Transport's submission is available on their website here:
Action For Public Transport

WSPTU Submission to the Metropolitan Transport Strategy

The steering group of the WSPTU has put together a submission for the members of the WSPTU which focusses on the issues which WSPTU members have been discussing during 2009/2010.
The submission has been sent to NSW Transport and Infrastructure. Click here to view the WSPTU submission.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Aboriginal Transport Conference

Aboriginal Transport State Conference

2010 Aboriginal Transport State Conference
Opal Cove Resort, Coffs Harbour ‐ 1st & 2nd July 2010
Aboriginal Transport Dreaming – Reality or Myth“Empowering the community through education, sharing & promoting
culturally appropriate transport solutions.”

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Submissions to Metropolitan Transport Plan Due April 30

The NSW Government has release their Metropolitan Transport Plan and given it a website of it's own. It is sub-titled "Connecting The City of Cities". The plan can be downloaded in parts and they are encouraging people to make a submission. April 30 is the deadline for submissions.
Here is the website
http://www.nsw.gov.au/shapeyourstate

MyZone Introduction Going Smoothly

It appears that the introduction of the new MyZone ticketing system is progressing smoothly. We have heard very few negative comments except from the few people who have been unlucky to lose their existing multi-passes and have an increase in fares.
Most people in Western and South Western Sydney seem happy with the price reductions, particularly for long distance train tickets. People in the North West seem happy with the reduced price and access to the MyBus travel ten tickets.

The mainstream press coverage has been reasonably positive. We've seen no comments made from other transport advocacy groups since the tickets were introduced last Sunday.

It will be interesting to see if there is a strong uptake of bus usage as people discover the value of the MyZone Multi tickets. A strong uptake of bus usage would be terrific in West and South Western Sydney, there is lots of capacity in most places and low bus usage, but it may be problematic for people in the areas closer to the Sydney CBD where buses are already closer to capacity.

Please feel free to leave a comment on this blog or go to the Government's MyZone website if you have anything to say about MyZone.
www.myzone.nsw.gov.au

Flexible Transport Services Seminar

Researchers at The Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS) at Sydney University are running a seminar to report back their findings to stakeholders who participated in interviews with them related to the idea of "Flexible Transport".

They tell us:

A draft paper on the research we have prepared for the Australasian Transport Research Forum will be distributed at the seminar for comment.

The seminar details are:
Time and date 10 am – 11.30 am, Tuesday 11 May 2010 (refreshments from 9.45 am)
Location Lecture Theatre at ITLS, 144 Burren St, Newtown www.econ.usyd.edu.au/itls/about/directions

Please RSVP by return email by Fri 7 May 2010.

If you are not able to attend, please pass this invitation on to colleagues who may be interested.

We look forward to seeing you.

Professor Corinne Mulley and Dr Rhonda Daniels

DR RHONDA DANIELS | Senior Research Analyst
Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies | Faculty of Economics and Business
THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY
Rm 208, 144 Burren St Newtown C37 | The University of Sydney | NSW | 2006
T +61 2 9351 0175 | F +61 2 9351 0088
E rhonda.daniels@sydney.edu.au | W http://sydney.edu.au/business/itls

Monday, April 19, 2010

New Car Park Has Commenced At St Marys



The work building a new commuter car park has commenced on the northern side of St Marys Station.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Buses Need To Wait For Passengers Getting Off Trains

This morning, I arrived at Rooty Hill station at 7.33am. By the time I disembarked and made my way to the south side bus stop, I was halfway down the exit stairway, only to watch the Route 738, 7.35am bus service to Eastern Creek business park depart the bus stop.

Only allowing a 2 minute timing between the incoming train arriving and the outbound bus leaving is not long enough, especially in peak times, and then customers have to wait 20 minutes for the next service in peak times.

This will not encourage people to utilize this great service. Especially when Eastern Creek Business park has been identified in the NSW state plan to become a major working hub.

Other than scheduling changes it would also be an advantage to include training for bus drivers that shows staff how to become sensitized to the customers' needs i.e. wait a few extra seconds/ minutes especially at peak times for people to exit the train station. Most fully-able people, when seeing their bus waiting to depart, increase their speed to catch the service.

In my case if the driver had waited a further 30 seconds, my experience would have been enjoyable and I would be telling everyone how easy it was to get to work…

Sue

Monday, April 12, 2010

Get Ready For MyZone Ticketing

NEWS RELEASE: Get Ready for MyZone Tickets
Saturday 10 April 2010

The Action For Public Transport transport consumer group has urged transit users to be ready for the new MyZone tickets that start next week.

Action for Public Transport (APT) secretary, Allan Miles, said, "Commuters should find out which ticket is best for them, and buy some before Monday morning."

"This will help avoid delays at ticket offices and on buses while passengers adjust to the new tickets," he said.

Mr Miles said that MyZone is a revolutionary step in Sydney's transport ticketing in which most existing train, bus, ferry and multi-mode tickets will be replaced by a simpler and broader system.

"In most cases, fares will be the same or less," he said.

"Information booths are being set up at 21 locations around Sydney and the Central Coast," Mr Miles said. "Commuters should visit these, or make enquiries by telephone or on-line or see http://www.myzone.nsw.gov.au/."

For the full release, click here

ELECTRONIC TICKETING: PREFERRED PROPONENT ANNOUNCED

Media Release; Sunday, 11 April 2010
Minister for Transport and Roads David Campbell today announced that a consortium including partners who delivered the world famous London “Oyster” travel card has been selected as the Preferred Proponent to deliver Sydney’s new $1.2 billion electronic ticketing system.
The Pearl Consortium was selected following an extensive assessment process during which proposals where evaluated against criteria including technical, delivery, financial and economic outcomes.
For the full release, click here

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

The Future of Transport - NSW Commuters Council

Sue Day is the WSPTU representative on the NSW Commuters Council and she is looking for feedback from you to inform her input into an upcoming NSW Commuter Council forum. You can contact her by making a comment at the bottom of this blog entry or by emailing her at suetrac@optushome.com.au

Topics raised for the forum are:

1. Population in the Sydney surrounding areas will rise from 50 to 300
%.

2. Aged population will rise substantially.

3. Need for Transport to and from work and schools will need to be
increased substantially.

4. With the aged population, public transport will be needed no more
that 200 meter from doors.

5. The existing public transport is too slow, too infrequent and too
inaccessible.

6. Road accidents, deaths, injuries are already excessive and will get
worse.

7. Road pollution both chemical and noise are already excessive and will
get worse.

8. There is a strong need to reduce total transport costs.

9. The standard of living of Australians is about to decrease
substantially.

10. Australia wont be able to maintain the taxpayer contributions to
transport due to the decrease in standard of living.

11. Australians are so attached to private car transport that they will
fight strongly to retain it thereby putting massive pressure on
government to build more and better roads unless much better public
transport can be provided.

12. Australian families are strongly opposed to living in high density
residential accommodation and will insist on the continuation of the
urban spread.

13. Possible solutions

13.1 More work, education and health treatment at home and so less
central work, health, and education facilities and less transport
needed.

13.2 A massive expansion of low cost, ultra safe, fast, frequent,
reliable, energy efficient, crewless horizontal lifts from door
to/from local transport interchanges needed. (lift access every 200
metres, local transport interchange every local shopping centre.)