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Western Sydney Transport Development Project

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Enquiries

For all enquiries about transport please contact

Hugh Worrall
Regional Resource Worker (Transport)

Phone: 02 9633 5068
Fax: 02 9687 8665
Email: hughw@wscf.org.au

or

Amy Williams
Regional Resource Worker (Transport)

Phone: 02 9687 8937
Fax: 02 9687 8665
Email: amyw@wscf.org.au

The Western Sydney Transport Development Project works across the fourteen local government areas of Western Sydney to reduce regional mobility and accessibility disadvantage through; working in partnership to develop and pilot transport projects, create opportunities for communities to have input into the planning and provision of transport, facilitate community analysis of Government policies and advocate for changes where appropriate.

 

Transport Issues for Young People In Western Sydney

In December, 2009, WSCF staff and volunteers facilitated a workshop at the What's Up West conference with YAPA Western Sydney. In the workshop a group of young people developed a list of their three top priorities on how to improve transport in Western Sydney. The group was 8 young people, under 20 years, who live in a variety of areas in Western Sydney and go to different schools. Here is the list:

What's Up West? - Top 3 Priorities For Young People To Improve Public Transport In Western Sydney.

1. Safety Safety on buses and trains and in public spaces, like when riding your bike or walking. How can we get home at night if we aren’t safe on the buses and trains (or if our parents don’t think we are safe)? How can we promote a healthy lifestyle if we are not safe cycling on the street or walking home?

2. The Availability of Transport and Information We’d like to catch the bus but if it only comes every hour it’s not very helpful - this happens a lot in Western Sydney. We need more frequent services. Some places in the North West don’t even have a train. We also need better information at bus stops. We need to know when the bus is coming and where it’s going - pretty basic.

3. The Cost of Public Transport If you have to make a change between trains and buses or between two buses it can be pretty expensive. Buses can be more expensive than trains when you compare the distance travelled. We need a ticket system which works between buses and trains and the fare is calculated on where you are going not by how many changes you make. Why can’t we have what other places have, like in Melbourne, or what the pensioners have with the Pensioner Excusion Ticket? This would make public transport cheaper and we would be more likely to use it.

 

Getting Involved in Transport Issues in Western Sydney

"All Aboard!" Paper & "A Beginner's Guide to Transport Advocacy in Western Sydney"

This guide to get involved in transport issues in Western Sydney, should be read in conjunction with "A Beginner's Guide to Transport Advocacy in Western Sydney".  They are publications compiled by WSCF to inform and educate the community about Western Sydney transport issues.

Click here to download your own copy of "All Aboard" (PDF 1.04MB)

(A Beginner's guide to Transport Advocacy in Western Sydney will be available on-line shortly)

Transport is the means of most people getting access to education, employment, health services, shopping and recreation.  Lack of transport options is a major cause of social exclusion.

The aim of  "All Aboard! Getting Involved in transport Issues in Western Sydney" and "A Beginner's Guide to Transport Advocacy in Western Sydney" is to

  • Raise community awareness on current transport disadvantage in Western Sydney
  • Identify key issues faced by the community
  • Give basic background information on transport planning and infrastructure in Western Sydney
  • Provide an opportunities to work with the WSCF Transport Project

 

Connecting with Buses, a WSCF position paper

Reducing Transport Disadvantage by Supporting Bus Services In Western Sydney

Executive Summary and Recommendations: Click Here (PDF 220KB)
Connecting With Buses - Full Report and Recommendations: Click Here (PDF ~900KB)

Improvements to bus services are needed to reduce transport disadvantage in Western Sydney. Transport disadvantage is a term used to describe a situation where disadvantaged populations live in an area where transport and/or other facilities and services are difficult to access or unavailable.

In 2003, a review of bus services in NSW was undertaken by the former Premier of NSW, The Hon Barrie Unsworth.The Review  was delivered to the Ministry of Transport in February 2004. Soon after, the Ministry of Transport responded to the Review and commenced implementing the recommendations, with some qualifications as the Ministry saw fit. Now, in 2009, five years after the Unsworth Review was delivered, WSCF believes it is timely to review how the transformation of bus services in Western Sydney is proceeding.

In August 2008 WSCF convened a transport forum at Granville Community Centre which was attended by representatives of many key stakeholder groups including bus companies, the Ministry of Transport, local Councils, the RTA and some community service agencies. A paper was prepared for that meeting which canvassed many of the topics now discussed in this paper. The participants at this meeting provided comments on the topics and these comments have been considered in the writing of this paper. WSCF acknowledges and thanks all the participants at that forum for their contributions.

WSCF believes that by creating this report and provoking discussion and advocacy around how to improve the bus services in Western Sydney we can make a contribution to reducing transport disadvantage and social exclusion in Western Sydney.

 

Youth Week - Publicising 131500

On April 4 and 5 WSCF participated in the Youth Week festivals in Blacktown and Fairfield. The aim was to show young people how to access the 131500 Transport Infoline via on the phone, the mobile web service and on the trip planner via the internet.

WSCF at "The Burbs" in Youth Week in Blacktown Outcomes
  • Volunteer Youth 'Consultants' – Blacktown 3; Fairfield 4.
  • Flyers Distributed – Blacktown 200; Fairfield 400.
  • Event Attendance – Blacktown 800; Fairfield 3000.
  • In-depth consultations learning mobile and internet functions – Blacktown 32; Fairfield 47.
Main Activities
  • Passing out 131500 information flyers
  • Asking people 'did you know that you can get bus and train timetables on the internet and your mobile phone?'
  • Displaying 131500 information on flyers and a banner.
  • Working directly with young people to demonstrate how 131500 works on the internet and the mobile phone.

 

Current Areas of Work:

  • Supporting Liverpool Transport Taskforce, a group of active residents in the Liverpool area campaigning for better public transport.
  • Incubation of a public transport users group for Western Sydney. See our progress on the blog www.wsptu.blogspot.com (New)
  • Connecting with Buses Project (download discussion paper), final paper is now released.
  • Smartlink Transport Register Project- Supporting the identification of community buses (paid for by government) to be utlised by the community.
  • Identifying Issues arising from the implemementation of the Bus Network Reviews occuring throughout Western Sydney.
  • Supporting and promoting Travel Training Projects in Western Sydney.
We communicate with the community sector and our stakeholders via the Flash Enews

 

Advocacy & Policy:

Western Sydney Transport Position Paper (New)
Developing introductory list of what is needed in Western Sydney to overcome transport disadvantage in plain language, enhance our regions liveability and sustainability. This document may be useful in advocating to those who make transport policy.

Download Here (pdf 405Kb)

Concession Reviews & IPART
WSCF makes submissions to IPART in their annual review of bus and train fares. While a range of transport concessions have been introduced to Western Sydney, there remains inequities in eligibility and concession received.

NSW Metropolitan Strategy & State Plan
Focus has been on advocating for the early provision of transport infrastructure in the North-West and South-West growth regions.

See our submission to the NSW Parliament regarding the public transport needs of people living in North West Sydney.

Health Related Transport
No Transport No Treatment: Community transport to health services in NSW

 

Transport Forums:

  • Liverpool Transport Transport Taskforce
  • Bankstown Council Transport Forum (By Invitation)
  • Blue Mountains Transport Forum
  • Blacktown Council Transport Forum (By Invitation)
  • HSnet, Transport Development Workers Network (Online)

If you would like to participate in either of these forums, or know of any others, please contact Paul Falzon on 9687 9669 or Hugh Worrall on 9633 5068

 

Past Research & Projects

 

Transport Advocacy Groups:

 
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