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Mr MIKE BAIRD (Manly) [5.35 p.m.]: Today I share with the House and the Minister for Transport a public transport option that deserves consideration as a measure to ease congestion on The Spit corridor. This roadway is so congested that the average speed a car travels is only 26 kilometres per hour. A person wearing running shoes can often travel faster—let alone any other form of transport. A bus rapid transit [BRT] system on the northern beaches has the potential to address this crippling problem for peninsula commuters, and I urge the Minister for Transport to seek expressions of interest as a priority.
Well-publicised reports have shown that traffic congestion damages the environment, harms people's health and wellbeing, and reduces the productivity of a city. Sydney's car addiction is so significant that, according to a study by the University of Sydney, if traffic continues to grow at the same rate as it has in the past couple of years, the number of car trips in the morning peak will climb 83,000, to 250,000 by 2013. That trend must be reversed. Car trips have continued to climb because the New South Wales Government has failed to provide public transport that is reliable, frequent, accessible and affordable.
The Spit-Military Road corridor is the second-slowest road in Sydney yet the Government's plans for it have been sadly lacking. One could only describe it as tinkering around the edges. At the moment the solutions being offered will take five years to implement, and even then will achieve only a five-minute reduction in travel time, at best. That simply will not do. Public transport must be the core of The Spit solution, and it is time the matter was addressed.
Last year I asked an international public transport expert to assess the viability of a bus rapid transit system for the northern beaches. These systems operate across the world in cities such as Istanbul, York in the United Kingdom, Brazil and, closer to home, the successful Busways in Brisbane. A BRT system incorporates exclusive bus lanes that traditionally run down the centre of the road. Because buses run frequently, there is no timetable and commuters can ride, walk or catch feeder buses to join the BRT network. The placement of the BRT system in the centre of the roadway removes any kerbside conflicts.
The BRT system offers a number of advantages. It is affordable as it utilises existing infrastructure, with development costs assessed at being less than 5 per cent of those of rail. It is efficient, with one bus carrying five to 20 times as many people per hour as a car. It improves traffic flows as all existing buses are removed from mixed traffic and replaced with one bus lane in each direction. It reduces air pollution through car emissions, with one bus said to equal the emissions produced by 60 cars.
I wrote to the Minister for Transport because I understand that he is putting together a transport plan for Sydney. In this context, I asked him to call for expressions of interest and formal engagement to determine the feasibility, timing and density implications of a BRT system on the northern beaches. According to the transport expert assessment, a BRT system on the northern beaches would result in 9,000 fewer cars every morning on The Spit and a 45-minute bus journey to the city from Newport, halving the current travel time. In the letter I made it clear to the Minister for Transport that a dedicated bus lane through the Mosman community would not be tolerated so other routes or configurations would have to be considered to make that a possibility.
It is expected that a BRT system on the northern beaches could convert 15 per cent to 20 per cent of car users to public transport. Certainly the system could work in conjunction with a short tunnel, but it is necessary for the experts to look at the proposition, determine the feasibility of the routes, the configuration and how it would work within the existing density of that corridor. The Government has a proposal before it and a BRT system could be incorporated. We have asked the Minister for Roads to respond to the community with a sensible proposal incorporating a BRT system. If he does so, the people of the northern beaches may have a long-term solution that not only makes sense but also puts public transport at the core, which is what has been missing from the debate. The Government should not be not tinkering around the edge and looking solely at road solutions. Public transport is the core of the solution.
We know that 80 per cent of people who work in the northern beaches area use their cars, rather than public transport, to get to work—in the case of many, because they have no choice. The time they are forced to sit in their cars in traffic gridlock day in and day out would be better spent in achieving productivity, from a commercial perspective, or with their families, from a community perspective. I believe that a bus rapid transport system on the northern beaches is an affordable way for the Government to get people out of their cars; it is a measure the Government should seriously consider. Such a system would reduce congestion, improve the wellbeing of commuters, and boost the productivity of the State.
I urge the Minister for Transport to formally seek expressions of interest to see whether a bus rapid transport system on the northern beaches could work, and then to consult the community on the issue.
Example of a BRT in Brazil
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