John Austen This article was originally published on 2 March 2020 at https://johnmenadue.com/john-austen-placating-the-infrastructure-club/ Infrastructure Australia’s 2020 priority list doesn’t recognise – let alone address fundamental problems. Legislation tasks Infrastructure Australia with considering nationally significant infrastructure – national significance relates to improving ‘national productivity’. Each year, Infrastructure Australia releases lists of proposals it considers ‘priorities’. One list – Read more about Placating the Infrastructure Club[…]

Jim Malo, 26-feb-2020, originally published at https://www.domain.com.au/news/why-uber-and-lime-could-be-making-our-transport-problems-worse-not-better-933450/?utm_source=watoday.com.au&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=link-widget&utm_campaign=plista-watoday They’re presented as solutions but mobility services like Uber, Lime and even Google Maps could be adding to congestion issues, a veteran transport researcher has warned. The services fall down in several key areas, such as increasing congestion, spreading congestion to new areas, and hindering public policy that Read more about Is Uber and Lime making public transport worse?[…]

The Sydney Metro has never been about getting people out their cars and onto trains and light rail The Sydney Metro has never been about an alternative to tolled motorways The Sydney Metro has always been about the over development of areas of Sydney that the Government and their developer backers can profit from If the Sydney Read more about Sydney Metro Disaster Planned for T3 Bankstown Line[…]

  Fact – Sydney Metro  (previously known as NWRL) was originally promised to be a full heavy rail double deck service connected to the Sydney rail network, by the incoming Barry O’Farrell led NSW Government. Fact – All of the Sydney Metro lines announced by governments, both Labor and Liberal, have been headed by Rod Read more about Sydney Metro – Fact and Fiction[…]

John Austen First published by John Menadue 22-mar-2019   Readers of Pearls and Irritations may have followed the transport infrastructure fiasco in NSW under conservative governments led first by Mr O’Farrell, then Mr Baird and now by one-time Transport Minister and Treasurer, Ms Berejiklian. Several reports last week put an exclamation mark to the debacle and Read more about NSW infrastructure: who is fit to govern?[…]

  Roydon Ng Originally published at http://www.altmedia.net.au/upgrade-dumped-for-westconnex-tolls/137857 As the State Government pushes ahead with the controversial toll-road, despite community opposition, WestConnex is likely to become a lasting reminder of how good public transport was sidelined. With Western Sydney’s growing population there was no question that something had to be done to improve transport to and Read more about Western line upgrade dumped in favour of WestConnex Tolls[…]

  NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced on Friday 12-mar-2019 that, if re-elected on 23 March 2019, her government would continue the dismemberment and privatisation of Sydney’s rail system by building yet more Metro lines using driverless, single deck trains.  Her proposed service for Western Sydney Airport, at Badgerys Creek, would force people to change trains at St Marys Read more about Dharawal Line – a better rail solution for Western Sydney Airport[…]

Privatising WestConnex is biggest waste of public funds in Australian history   This article was originally published at https://www.michaelwest.com.au/privatising-westconnex-is-biggest-waste-of-public-funds-in-australian-history/ on 27-sep-2018.   (Image courtesy of https://www.westconnexactiongroup.org.au) Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email   On any measure, the WestConnex sale is not in the public interest. University of Sydney’s Transport Analyst, Christopher Standen, argues that the billions of dollars Read more about Privatising WestConnex[…]

I spent some time yesterday looking back at the origins of the debate about Sydney Trains Network versus the so-called ‘metro” vision of the current LNP government in NSW, led by Gladys Berejiklin. Gavin Gatenby produced an excellent informative video on 4-feb-2013 called “Unfit for Purpose”. Despite being 6+ years ago, and incorporating some labels Read more about LEARNING THE LESSONS OF HISTORY IN PLANNING SYDNEY’S RAIL SYSTEM[…]