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

Introduction

Action for Public Transport (NSW) Inc. ("APTNSW") is a transport advocacy group active in Sydney since 1974. Our members are users of public transport services.

Summary

We object to the proposal. We recommend that public transport in the dense Camperdown area be developed in preference to relying on car transport.

Discussion

• The site is too valuable
  As remarked in the EIS, the hospital is expanding, providing more services to a growing population. The proposed staff car-park site could be used to provide medical facilities now or in the future. The site should not be wasted on car parking. Other inner-Sydney hospitals (St Vincents, Balmain and Sydney) are constrained by space and heritage considerations. RPAH can do better.
• Building a car park would encourage private car use
  Sydney should be managing travel demand by smart transport and land-use planning. Building 996 staff car spaces, each of which would turn over perhaps 4 cars every 24 hours, would see many thousand car trips daily in the surrounding streets.
• Strategic oil reserves
  Australia has little or no strategic petroleum shortage and electric cars remain very expensive. In the event of a supply disruption, Sydney would quickly be in serious trouble. It is short-sighted to encourage car usage without guaranteed fuel.
• The cost of driving
  In Australia we no longer manufacture motor vehicles, or refine petroleum in Sydney. This has a big impact on our terms of trade of over $800 per head per year.
• Staff car parking charges
  The $21 per week staff parking charge is an anomaly when you consider staff who travel by public transport receive no subsidy. With parking costs for private parking ranging from $15 up to $50 daily not far away, why should public transport users pay more than drivers who use more resources?
• Public transport should be provided instead
  In the short term, a 7-day shuttle bus service should run between the hospital and Redfern station. That or another bus should service Newtown Bridge. Adequate steps should be taken for security between the hospital and the Parramatta Rd bus stops near Missenden Road. Small low-floor buses might be suitable. Frequency of service is vital - at least 6 buses/hour 5am-11pm with more capacity at busy times.

  Also, the route of bus 370 (which used to pass very near the hospital) should be examined. Many staff would find it useful to restore the RPAH service.

  In the longer term, there should be underground Metro rail stations near trip generators like RPAH. Oddly, Sydney Metro plans no stations between Central and Waterloo. Metro railways worldwide tend to have stations spaced about 1km apart. A western metro line from the CBD could have stops at UTS Broadway, Fisher Library, RPAH, Annandale etc.

Conclusion

The proposed multi-storey staff car park is inappropriate to the Camperdown environment. There is too much road traffic in the area already and attracting more cars, facilitating thousands more car movements each day, would worsen traffic conditions.

Recommendations

APTNSW submits that the proposal to build a large staff car-parking station be rejected. Modern planning principles appropriate to large cities should be followed. Steps should be taken to reduce the need for car travel and discourage it. Public transport should be developed instead of cars. Sydney should develop and implement a plan with metro railways serving travel generators in the inner suburbs.