Relieving City congestion

1 October 2009

Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said it is vital that light rail extends along George Street to remove long queues of buses from the City centre and ease CBD congestion.

Ms Moore said George Street needed to be included as an option in a Light Rail Extension Assessment Study currently being developed by the NSW Government. Ashfield, Leichhardt, Marrickville and Sydney Councils have all agreed to the State Government's request to jointly fund the study.

"CBD light rail with integrated ticketing is vital and would provide a coordinated and effective transport solution, which would reduce demand for buses to enter the CBD," Ms Moore said.

"George St is integral to this plan as it provides a fast, quiet and efficient above ground transport solution for short trips and visitors.

 "Current plans for metro and light rail provide the opportunity to reclaim our city for its people and increase our reputation as a world-class destination city," Ms Moore said.

"More than a million people move across the City of Sydney every weekday for work, shopping and entertainment. They travel by train and bus from the West, South-West, North-West and North Shore.

"Fixing Sydney's transport system is an important starting point and a national priority. A connected network of public transport that includes bus interchange, light rail, heavy rail and metro is critical. The current rail system is at capacity and the bus network in the CBD is inefficient, noisy and slow."

The City of Sydney's vision for George Street is outlined in Sustainable Sydney 2030 which proposes a pedestrian, cycling and light rail spine linking Central Railway Station with Circular Quay along George Street.

The plan is based on work undertaken by internationally acclaimed urbanist Prof Jan Gehl who has called for a re-imagining of the way public space is used in the CBD.

Ms Moore and Prof Gehl recently presented Sustainable Sydney 2030 plans to improve the City for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport to the State Transport Minister and Planning Minister. 

"In Sydney, it seems to me, you sometimes say 'this is too hard, it can't be done.' In Copenhagen, too, 30 years ago, people of my own car-dominated city said much the same thing.

"Today, it is a city of pedestrians and cyclists, a city where the people, and not the cars, come first. I hope that by 2030 Sydney, too, will be a city for its people," said Prof Gehl.

Media Contact:  Josh Mackenzie (02) 9265-9082 or 0402 351 459

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