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Action for Public Transport (N.S.W.) Inc.

CBD Mobility Forum - Report to Participants

posted Thursday 4 December 2008
In newspaper advertisements on 2 August 2008, amid an atmosphere of mutual distrust between the state government and the electorate on transport issues, the Premier called for submissions to a "CBD Mobility Forum" to "develop measures to keep the Sydney CBD moving smoothly". The government's transport policies were in such disarray that APT did not bother to get involved in yet another talk-fest.

For the record, the report on the Mobility Forum appears below.


CBD Mobility Forum

Recommendations from the CBD Mobility Forum to the NSW Government

The CBD Mobility Forum was held in Sydney on Friday 31 October 2008. The forum was attended by over 40 stakeholders, transport experts and operators. Almost 100 submissions were received from the public prior to the forum. The forum made recommendations to the NSW Government on actions to improve mobility within the Sydney CBD and on the major routes to and from the CBD. The recommendations from the forum are now being assessed to determine their feasibility and assess the size of the benefits to mobility. The Government will respond to the recommendations no later than December 2008.

Recommendations of the CBD Mobility Forum

  1. Increasing mobility and amenity within the CBD by:
    • immediate action to:
      • reduce traffic light/walk signal cycle times;
      • better intersection enforcement to stop queuing across intersections by both cars and pedestrians; and
      • implement cashless buses.
    • implementing the CBD Bus Strategy as fast as possible.
    • creating a powerful, time-limited authority with a responsibility to deliver and implement a key corridor strategy through the CBD. The strategy should:
      • be project focused and define allocation of road space;
      • consider taxi access, loading zones, bus lanes, bike lanes, speed limits, on street parking minimisation on key corridors; and
      • particularly consider the role of specialised spines.
    • rationing of the available CBD street-space by considering:
      • specific space being given to different users. For example, bike lanes and pedestrian lanes. This could include identifying streets with specific spine use (eg Elizabeth St for bikes, Pitt St for pedestrians);
      • a better allocation of the street space and resource, working with the City of Sydney to see what can be achieved quickly;
      • develop a CBD parking and freight delivery strategy to reduce vehicles, particularly in peak periods;
      • establishing a CBD road hierarchy considering the needs of all users; and
      • consider options for greater pedestrian priority. For example countdown clocks and pedestrian boulevards.
    • NSW Government to work with the City of Sydney on options for light rail and other transport alternatives, to address the total number of buses in the CBD, over a 5-10 year period
    • considering an ongoing public engagement process to understand community concerns, manage expectations and modify behaviour; and
    • considering introducing quieter buses.
  2. Better use of capacity on transport corridors to/from the CBD by:
    • considering introducing higher capacity modes on major bus corridors. For example light rail and metro rail.
    • increasing the allocation of road space to non-car modes within 10km, 20km, 30km radii of the CBD to provide an alternative to car based transport including:
      • cycle-ways to provide alternative transport system within 10km; and
      • bus corridors within 20-30km.
    • developing an integrated freight movement strategy that considers:
      • allowing higher productivity vehicles to use city road network;
      • out of hours delivery schedule; and
      • greater use of rail freight.
    • developing daily peak and weekend traffic management system.
    • promoting the right type of transport mode for the right market.
  3. Better operational management of the existing network by considering:
    • establishing an all mode integrated transport management control centre for managing peak periods and major incidents.
    • fully integrated operational scheduling and planning.
    • developing and investing in an effective incident management system, including:
      • expanded use of non-police to deal with enforcement and non-major accident investigation; and
      • better public information about incidents, for example electronic signage.
    • improved multi-mode travel time/incident information, communication and coordination, for example variable message screens, information about car park availability.
  4. Behavioural changes to enhance capacity by
    • time based pricing on road and public transport:
      • for example, peak pricing of the Harbour Bridge/tunnel with hypothecation to additional buses and bus priority measures; and
      • cashless public transport ticketing and single flag fall.
    • regulation, including of retail opening hours and freight operations.
    • education of users regarding efficient use of the network, ticketing/pricing, and enhanced Travelsmart programs.
    • considering actively spreading use through the day by:
      • targeted conversations with key stakeholders (employers, education providers) about time of travel to develop strategies for change;
      • developing and implementing pricing triggers that will encourage people to travel in non-peak times; and
      • implementing a complementary investment strategy at the same time as pricing implementation, for example bus corridors.
  5. Streamlined transport governance
    • improve long term planning and delivery of transport initiatives, including by considering redesigning the existing multiple transport delivery and planning agencies to form a single entity that:
      • is based on a consistent, strategic approach for all transport modes;
      • has responsibility, powers and financial capacity for funding, planning and delivery;
      • requires operators to report and have service agreements; and
      • is clearly accountable for overall delivery and coordination.




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