We don't want band-aids we want a comprehensive rail remedy. But it won't happen till we Shire residents demand that remedy. Quite obviously the Shire's rail services need major upgrading. Moreover the rail service is very much less polluting than is road transport. So it's time State Government woke up to the truth that rail saves citizens money over using their cars and that investing taxpayers' money in such public transport is preferable to investing it in highway building (or obliging them to pay tolls). It does this more efficiently than the 16,000 vehicles per hour (1.2 persons per vehicle) that need 8 lanes of road to carry 19,000 people. Four main routes carry people from the Shire to the north: only one is the rail line, the other three are the roads that cross Captain Cook, Tom Uglys and Alfords Point bridges.Ī single train can carry 16,000 people per hour (at peak, on 4 trains each from Cronulla, Waterfall, South Coast). Importantly too, it's more efficient as a carrier than is the private car.Ĭonsider. The Shire's rail service is obviously important. All these join those who do not or cannot drive, including the young, the too old and the too poor.Įvery objective study of Shire traffic-needs now concludes that public transport, especially rail, must be expanded, and quickly. What is clear is that a substantial section of the public is turning to use of public transport: those who find parking difficult or expensive, those who find the roads too congested and time-wasting, and those who find they must economise on car use. How else explain a reported Sydney-wide decline of several percentage points in vehicle use since June 2000? Recession will add to this decline. The increases have upset the balance of many household budgets. The recent increases in petrol price have angered motorists throughout Australia, as shown by the "resentment vote" in Queensland and WA elections. The era of cheap oil is at an end and the poor performance of the Aussie dollar will add its bit to keeping pump prices up. Some Shire residents even drive to Hurstville or Kogarah where the frequency-of-service is also high.Īnd beyond doubt, the patronage of rail would increase even more rapidly if trains were more frequent and less crowded. Trains from Cronulla are often full on reaching Kirrawee, forcing many passengers to stand for the long trip to the city. And continuing to grow, largely because of Sutherland's higher train frequency. The patronage at Sutherland Station is extraordinary, growing by 15 per cent each year since 1996. Yet there has been no effective increase in train services in this period! This Line is now the busiest of all of Sydney's rail lines, with about 28,000 peak period passenger journeys daily. While patronage of the CityRail network has grown by 17 per cent over the past 4 years, the number of passengers on the Illawarra Line (including Cronulla branch line) has soared by 27 per cent. In fact, rail use has grown explosively over just the last four years. The bitter result is with us every day, especially in congested roads and unavoidable delays.ĭespite the Shire's poor train service, demands on that service keep growing. In a glaring failure of State and Local Government planning, there has been no attempt at a planned balance between rail and road use. The Shire has become a car dependent society, with 90 per cent of all trips being made by car. Rise in vehicle use has been extraordinary. Who is to blame? First, successive governments that have failed to reform the Shire's growing transport problems second, we the people who have allowed governments to get away with the neglect.Ī wretchedly inadequate rail service has compelled Shire residents to take to the roads - in cars, cars, cars. Traffic congestion, parking difficulty, the overcrowded rail service, buses insufficient and sometimes unreliable for reaching stations on time, and overall the neglect of public transport. Sutherland Shire's transport troubles have moved to the top position among the quality-of-life concerns of residents. Only upgrade of public transport will make a major difference
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |