24 October 2008
A CBD Metro to start construction in 2010 would be a welcome addition to Sydneys public transport network, according to Aaron Gadiel, chief executive of the Urban Taskforce.
Infrastructure Australia should back this plan, Mr Gadiel said.
Sydney needs a major injection of new public transport services.
The Bureau of Transport and Resource Economics has found that the social costs of congestion will rise to $20 billion by 2020, and Sydney will account for $8 billion. The distance travelled by cars is expected to grow by 37 per cent between 2005 and 2020, Mr Gadiel said.
Without a major upgrade of transport infrastructure well be doomed to increase urban congestion.
Todays proposal is a sensible start, although much more is required.
Sydney has not been coping with the demands placed on its creaking infrastructure by both population growth and demographic change.
New public transport allows more of Sydneys new homes to be within a reasonable travel time of major employment centres.
The proposal supports efforts to create compact, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use neighbourhoods in Rozelle and Pyrmont.
The Federal Government should give public transport in Sydney its priority, because the costs of congestion here are 17 per cent higher than in Melbourne, three times higher than Brisbane and four times as high as Perth.
The Urban Taskforce is a property development industry group, representing Australias most prominent property developers and equity financiers.
