19 April 2011
The Urban Taskforce has welcomed the announcement of the new Integrated Transport Authority by the NSW Government. The Taskforces chief executive, Aaron Gadiel, said this was a major step forward for NSWs transport future.
Our government should be holistically planning for our transport needs across all transport modes, he said.
Now we really will have a major focus on a truly integrated transport vision for Sydney.
There was too little of this kind of transport planning during the period of the former government.
Mr Gadiel said the new governments commitment to key public transport projects, such as the North West and South West rail line was important.
However, its also vital that ˜integrated transport planning is never interpreted to mean reducing governments focus on road construction, particularly on major arterial roads that link suburban communities to jobs and shopping precincts.
Integrated transport planning is not just about public transport, or just roads, its about looking at the transport system as a whole.
Mr Gadiel said those who were against road projects overlooked the fact that 90 per cent of Sydneys journeys are taken by car. He said the great majority of commutes are by motor vehicle, as are shopping and social journeys.
Mr Gadiel said that workers in Sydneys suburban centres, such as Penrith, Liverpool, Bankstown and Hurstville rely on cars.
Any government that isnt investing in the road network is abandoning these important centres, and their workers are struggling with their commute each day.
The Urban Taskforce is a property development industry group, representing Australias most prominent property developers and equity financiers.
