Manly MP Mike Baird and a group of frustrated commuters have shown it can be faster to run from the Northern Beaches than drive in Spit traffic.

The runners left Balgowlah Boys High School yesterday at 7:50am and the first runner arrived at the start of the freeway at Neutral Bay at 8:21am – one minute faster than a car that left the high school at the same time. The other runners followed three to five minutes later.

“The fact that it can be quicker to commute from the Northern Beaches by sandshoe is the ultimate condemnation of this Government,” said Mr Baird.

“It was a pretty clear run for the cars yesterday; on average the 13km journey from Manly to the CBD takes most motorists more than an hour. This means less time with families and more money at the petrol bowser because residents can’t rely on public transport.

“Since the State Government’s first announcement they were going to fix the Spit in 2002, we haven’t seen one worker in a hard-hat, just a long line of empty promises.”

Mr Baird said the ‘Fix the Spit Run’ would be held every year until the Government took action to ease Spit Bridge congestion.

“The charade of the Spit Bridge widening allowed the Government to pretend for many years that they were doing something. Well, we will run until they actually do do something.

“This week marks a year since the last State Election. It is also more than 10 months since the Government’s Spit working group was formed yet they have not made one recommendation.

“Northern Beaches commuters deserve better than that. People don’t want to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic each morning but they have no choice.

“The solution to Spit congestion must be centred around improved public transport. We’re currently working on our plan for the Spit that we will release later this year.”

In June 2006 Mr Baird and a group of runners ran the same route from Balgowlah to Neutral Bay in 31 minutes – twice as quick as the traffic, which took 64 minutes.

 
MEDIA: Lisa Harrington - 0406 726 880

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