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. Our comments concern the 13 brochures available on your website.

Summary

We note that the Strategy aims to double the population of the twelve precincts. It is essential that the reconstruction, and the re-zonings which are to allow it, not take place unless and until adequate public transport is operating.

Discussion - General

The NSW government has announced that it is to convert the Bankstown railway line between Sydenham and Bankstown to single-deck driverless trains operating under the name Sydney Metro. Part of the conversion will involve fitting all railway platform edges with gates that open and close simultaneously with the doors on trains stopped at that platform. Because the safe operation of these gates requires the platform edges to be straight or very nearly straight, considerable work will be required at most of the stations to straighten the platforms and the tracks alongside those platforms. This work is likely to take a year or so, during which time the whole Bankstown line will be closed and rail services to all of those stations will be replaced by bus services.

The replacement bus services will be very inconvenient for passengers in peak hours and are likely to be considerably slower than rail services. Further, the services themselves will worsen traffic congestion wherever they operate along main roads that are already congested. It would be unfair to those passengers to compound the inconvenience with disruption due to demolition and/or construction traffic which was working on the new high-rise residential sites. There should be no demolition or construction until such time as the railway conversion is complete and rail services are running on a permanent basis.

Further, there is a possibility that a future NSW government might alter the Sydney Metro plan referred to above and decide instead to put Sydney Metro somewhere other than along the existing Bankstown railway line. If so, there would be no change in the passenger-carrying capacity of the Bankstown railway and it would be inappropriate to double the population of the area around the stations.

Discussion - Marrickville and Sydenham

We note the flood-prone area shown generally west of the railway between Tempe and Sydenham. We think that this area is unsuitable for high-rise residential development. Page 8 of the Marrickville brochure states that flood mitigation measures could be incorporated into future developments. We would point out that the level of Carrington Road is only about a metre above king tide level. Some of the factories on the eastern side of Carrington Road keep sandbags ready at their entrances to prevent stormwater entry during heavy rain.

There is a risk that a king tide might coincide with heavy rain in the Cooks River catchment and with strong onshore winds, causing worse flooding than previously seen. Guarding against the consequences of such floods would require mitigation measures that strain credibility. We therefore think that the low flood-prone area shown in the Marrickville and Sydenham brochures is unsuitable for redevelopment.

Conclusion

APTNSW submits that the developments, and the relevant rezonings, should be put on hold unless and until the railway conversion is completed. We also submit that the flood-prone lands should not be developed at all.