Council’s green-tinged infrastructure want list

BY ALEX MCDONALD

The cost of congestion on Sydney’s streets could rise from $3.6 billion to $8 billion a year by 2020 unless the city’s ailing public transport system is radically updated, says Clover Moore.

The City of Sydney has now asked for three inner-city transport projects to be considered as part of the Federal Government’s infrastructure wish list to address Sydney’s troubled transport network.

Clover Moore said of the city’s submission for federal funds: “The Federal Government’s establishment of the new Infrastructure Australia Fund presents us with a once in a generation opportunity to address the chronic under-investment in public transport infrastructure in Australian cities.”

Light rail is high on council’s to-do list. Its Infrastructure Australia submission included a request for a light rail service for the soon-to-be redeveloped Green Square precinct, plus a $100 million light rail loop for the city, running along George Street and around the Rocks along Hickson Road to the Hungry Mile.

“Improvements to inner Sydney surface transport must be included on the national infrastructure priority list,” the council submission claims. “There are also opportunities to advance other physical and collaborative infrastructure priorities in the City of Sydney that can advance key national policy areas.”

The third infrastructure request was for an inner-city cycle network, to be developed in partnership with the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change, the Roads and Traffic Authority and 15 Sydney councils.

The City of Sydney has allocated $77 million over the next four years to build the cycle network, with construction already underway on the King Street cycleway. It will form part of a separated east-west cycle route across the city. Further cycleways are slated for Woolloomooloo and Green Square.

The city’s submission claimed the three projects represented the “best value in the shortest time frame to deliver on issues of national significance”.

Speaking at last week’s Metropolis Congress in Sydney, Lord Mayor Moore outlined the need for an “integrated inner transport network” as part of her Sustainable Sydney 2030 pitch.

Lord Mayor Moore said the network would include: “Heavy rail and metro lines bringing people to the city and a light rail loop around the city centre with services radiating out in a 10 kilometre radius to service the now densely populated or visitor areas such as Green Square and Moore Park.”

Clover Moore also presented a ‘compare and contrast’ slide show of Berlin and Sydney as a way of illustrating how “disastrously over-dependent” Sydneysiders are on motor vehicles.

“The economic and environmental cost of not building new transport infrastructure far outweighs the cost of financing these projects,” Lord Mayor Moore said.

“It must be abundantly clear to everyone that promoting a shift to public transport, cycling and walking as an alternative to using private motor vehicles is necessary to reduce both congestion and green house gas emissions.

“Many people in Sydney have little practical alternative to relying on their cars, and this must change.”

The City of Sydney also offered to work closely with Infrastructure Australia’s Major Cities unit. Council is now working on proposals for green transformers, the Sydney Harbour Cultural Ribbon & Eora Journey, and an affordable “Key Worker” housing project.