Public and Sustainable Transport
Local Government encourages the expansion of public transport and other sustainable transport modes as an alternative to the growth in private vehicle use. The Associations support the provision of appropriate public transport services to and between regional centres. Local Government is also an important stakeholder in the planning and provision of appropriate pedestrian, cycling, parking and public transport facilities in local council areas.
The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) is the key agency overseeing guidelines relating to pedestrian and cycling facilities, bus priority measures and parking regulatory issues. The Ministry of Transport oversees broader public transport policy issues such as rail and bus services as well as the Local and Community Transport program for regional areas. There are also numerous other stakeholder groups promoting public and sustainable transport objectives, including NCOSS (particularly accessibility issues for disadvantaged groups), Action for Public Transport, Bicycle NSW, and the Pedestrian Council. Many individual councils have been active in lobbying for improved public and sustainable transport in their respective areas.
Recent sustainable transport initiatives include development of a statewide pedestrian and parking strategy, funding infrastructure for the bus improvement program, strategic planning and funding for public transport within metropolitan and regional areas, public transport utilisation targets for local government areas, promotion of cycling, pedestrian and car sharing guidelines.
Local Government is not a direct provider of public transport services. However, councils are involved in the provision and maintenance of transport infrastructure within their broader planning responsibilities, including bus stops, footpaths, cycleways and parking spaces and require appropriate funding assistance to increase the share of non-car modal share of transport.
In 2003 the Associations made submissions to:
Interim Report (182KB) of the Ministerial Inquiry into NSW Public Transport (Parry Inquiry) - Final Report (147KB)of the Ministerial Inquiry into NSW Public Transport (Parry Inquiry)
- Review of Bus Services in NSW (180KB) (Unsworth Inquiry)
Copies of the Final Report of the Ministerial Inquiry into NSW Public Transport (Parry Inquiry), along with the Interim Report, Ministry of Transport submission, other submissions and Government's response to the Inquiry may be viewed at the Ministry of Transport website.
Further information on the State Government's bus reform program, including copies of the Interim and Final Report of the Review of Bus Services in NSW (Unsworth Inquiry), Government response to this report, and subsequent bus contract information may be viewed at the Ministry of Transport website.
The Associations have made submissions to various planning related reform issues, including, where relevant, comments on transport issues such as integrated transport and land use planning, pressures on coastal infrastructure, Sydney Metropolitan Strategy etc. These submissions may be viewed on the Submissions and Resources page under Planning.
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