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

Action for Public Transport (NSW) Inc. is a transport advocacy group which has been active in Sydney since 1974. We promote the interests of beneficiaries of public transport - passengers and the wider community alike.

In September 2022, the Commission released for public comment a discussion paper called "The Six Cities Region" dedicated to "delivering global competitiveness and local liveability". Action for Public Transport makes this submission on the discussion paper.

A connected region:

The paper mentions the region's "three sea ports" - wrong, there are four: Port Kembla, Botany Bay, Port Jackson and Port of Newcastle.

Road and specifically tollway construction has little mention in the paper, despite experience suggesting that this is likely to be the biggest target for investment.

We agree with the list of fast rail's benefits on page 34, including "Increased supply and diversity of housing". Planning for fast rail corridor/s will need to consider at an early stage whether in Greater Sydney this will serve the centre of Parramatta, Eastern Sydney, or both.

"Express coach services will serve the coastal communities between Port Macquarie and Newcastle" - the strategy should be more ambitious. Regardless of eventual Sydney - Brisbane fast rail plans, a double-track electrified alignment for the North Coast line between Newcastle and Taree should be commenced roughly along the Pacific Highway route. This would cut travel time from the existing inland, century-old branch-line standard current alignment and better serve growing population centres.

Housing:

• All housing construction on floodplains should cease
• Increase of density to conserve arable land and avoid flooding should be more actively pursued. If there is continuing demand for detached housing on traditional large (0.1ha) blocks, this could be used as a drawcard for wider decentralisation.
• Policy should adopt the goal that all new housing be within 1km of a fixed rail transport service. (see current "Region shaper" goal - 15 minutes to activity centres; 30 minutes public transport to strategic centres).
• It is clear that most new detached housing is already of a poorer standard than that of previous decades due to relative shrinking of block sizes and expansion of houses, leading to reduced tree cover and privacy. (See for example aerial photo of housing at Newcastle on page 40). Town-houses and terraced houses would be an ultimately better way of achieving these same goals.

Breakout paragraph 4.1: Action for Public Transport approves the linking of infrastructure availability with dedicated higher housing density areas.

Green Cities:

We agree with the overall direction of this section. Wall and roof colours of much housing could be made lighter, reducing the need for powerful air-conditioning in hot weather.

Generally:

Planning policies which are in line with modern thinking should be locked-in now. For instance, transport and land-use affect each other. Therefore, there should be a policy that transport and land-use will be planned together. Also, the propensity of road expansion to increase traffic volumes should be recognised, and therefore there should be a policy against road expansion as a solution to traffic congestion.

Sydney's new metro rail lines seem to be designed to minimise the number of stations. They don't have enough designated interchanges between lines and with buses and they suffer from a fixed idea that all railways should pass through Central. The Commission should press for optimally-designed railways with well-placed stations, maximising the benefits from these large investments.

Jim Donovan

Secretary
Action for Public Transport (NSW) Inc.