This Is a Bus Stop In Western Sydney Where Even Young Lovers Can Use The Bus Shelter Seats Economically!

At least  for one of them the seat is warm!

Announcement of New Bus Contracts

This could be very important for people in Greater Western Sydney.

Transport for NSW has announced the successful tenders for the bus contracts in several regions including Region 1 (Penrith to Blacktown) and Region 3 (Liverpool, Fairfield, Holroyd).

Busways was successful for Region 1 and Transit Systems Australia was successful in Region 3. Busways www.busways.com.au is well known to people in Region 1 but the other existing service providers, Westbus and Hawkesbury Valley Buses, appear to have missed out on contracts in Region 1.

The new contract for Region 3 has gone to Transit Systems Australia. They seems to be a new business in Western Sydney http://www.transitsystems.com.au/overview . Previously Region 3 was operated by a consortium of MetroLink, Busabout, Hopkinsons and Westbus. It's unknown what will happen with those businesses. http://www.a3mc.com.au/

http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/new-bus-contracts-benefit-customers-and-taxpayers

Filling In 'The Gap' - SMH

The Sydney Morning Herald ran a story this week about the difficulties some people in Sydney face while trying to access the bus system.

People associated with WSPTU groups in Mt Druitt and Bankstown are in the story.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/for-many-public-transport-is-now-a-private-hell-20121110-294wx.html

The Sydney Alliance has created maps showing where services aren't available within 400 metres and with a frequency of 15 minutes. The Sydney Alliance have created a formula for quality services: 400:15:1 SCAA.  This means 400 metres to the nearest stop, every 15 minutes, available on 1 ticket, safe, clean, accessible and affordable.

Here is a story in the SMH about how people could be linked to high-frequency services through the use of local-level 'feeder' services and 'flexible' transport services. Prof Corrine Mulley from the Institute of Transport and Logistics at Sydney Uni is quoted. Professor Mulley has presented at the WSPTU Symposium.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/linking-services-vital-to-get-the-city-moving-20121111-296h0.html

Western Sydney Left Standing In The Rain

Earlier this year Western Sydney Community Forum wrote to the Minister responsible for Infrastructure Austalia suggesting that bus stop infrastructure had potential as a "job ready" project which would also help achieve the social inclusion and sustainability objectives that the Government had described for itself.

Western Sydney Community Forum wrote:

"Bus stop infrastructure is very important to improve social inclusion,
reduce transport disadvantage and increase the take-up of public transport
in the general community. Increased use of public transport is an important
part of reducing road trauma and greenhouse gas emissions.

Local government struggles to meet the demands on their resources for bus infrastructure and are sometimes less than enthusiastic about meeting these responsibilities.

Given that the Federal Government is interested in start-ready infrastructure projects to assist with the slowing economy in 2009 and;

Given that the Federal Government has a renewed interest in the provision of public infrastructure to improve the productive capacity of the Australian economy and;

Given that the Federal Government has a stated interest in improving social inclusion in Australian society and;

Given that the Disability Discrimination Act (2002) is Commonwealth legislation;

WSCF recommends that the Commonwealth financially assists Local Government to invest in bus stop infrastructure, particularly in Western Sydney.

WSCF also supports the establishment of a Bus Stop Infrastructure Corporation responsible to ensure all bus stops have sufficient investment in them, are maintained properly and made accessible in a reasonable time."

The Minister responded with:

"I agree that bus stop infrastructure is an important community facility and an
integral part of the public transport infrastructure. However, provision of
public transport and facilities is a state government responsibility.

Although the Rudd Government is now allocating record funding to local government, it does not have a role in the day to day operations of local government or the priorities that local government give to the development of community infrastructure."

There about 10,000 bus stops in Western Sydney and, if you provided accessibility and shelter for half these stops (they don't all need it), at a cost of about $15,000 per stop, it would cost a total of $75m.