Jason Falinski calls for metro to prevent northern beaches’ predicted gridlock
Mackellar MP Jason Falinski has responded to a grim report on the future of the northern beaches’ roads by calling for a metro rail line.
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Mackellar MP Jason Falinski has said only a metro line will prevent the northern beaches becoming gridlocked in the next decade.
His comments come following the release of an Infrastructure Australia report which predicts a grim outlook for road users by 2031.
The report predicts buses running to and from the city from the peninsula will be operating at “well in excess of crush capacity” from Dee Why to North Sydney.
This includes the B-Line services, which the report states could become a victim of their success and could result in “bunching and delays”.
The report defines crush capacity as when all seating and standing positions on the bus are taken.
The report also names two peninsula routes as being in the top 10 most congested by 2031. They are the Mona Vale to Olympic Park corridor (fourth busiest in the morning peak and ninth in the evening) and the beaches to North Sydney corridor (seventh for both the morning and evening).
Manly MP James Griffin said the report shows why the Beaches Link tunnel is needed.
He also said it shows the State Government is doing the heavy lifting and he called on Federal MPs to secure funding needed for the likes of the Beaches Link tunnel.
“I encourage them to advocate to the Commonwealth Government for our fair share of funding so we can get on with these projects,” he said.
He also said work was in progress for a B-Line type service between Dee Why and Chatswood which would meet some of the demand on that route.
Mr Falinski said the Beaches Link tunnel would only get congestion back to the level of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
“Only with metro rail can we future proof this area,” he said. “This is making people’s lives miserable. We need to start talking about metro.”
He added: “At the moment, and for the last two decades, we have been building without thinking about transport. The Carr government was just sticking people into areas with no planning around transport.
“With rail we can have high density around the metro which will preserve the character of the surrounding suburbs.”
Mr Falinski also said trackless trams, which are being rolled out across China, should be investigated.
Warringah MP Zali Steggall said the report comes as no surprise and said she would be working across all levels of government to find solutions.
“While too often the focus is on the north-west corridor to the Sydney CBD, the report demonstrates that the east-west corridor is just as bad — perhaps worse. For people commuting to Chatswood or Macquarie Park, there are very few public transport options … clearly, change is needed.
“I support initiatives from both State and Local Government to address these urgent needs that have direct impacts on the quality of life for those that are making this commute every day and I look forward to working with State and Federal Ministers in developing solutions.”
She also called on constituents to contact Infrastructure Australia and give their feedback.
“Our area has been overlooked for too long,” she said.
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