NSW Labor leader Michael Daley commits to building commuter carpark at West Ryde
Labor leader Michael Daley has promised to build a $25 million multistorey commuter carpark at West Ryde train station to help ease transport pressure points in Sydney’s northwest.
Northern District Times
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Labor leader Michael Daley has labelled the Berejiklian Government’s planning of Ryde as a “dog’s breakfast” as he tries to woo voters with solutions to the congestion woes in Sydney’s northwest.
The NSW Opposition leader was in Ryde today to promise building a $25 million multistorey commuter carpark at West Ryde train station if Labor is elected to power at next year’s state election.
Mr Daley was joined by Ryde Labor Mayor Jerome Laxale — who will try to unseat Finance Minister Victor Dominello at the March 23 poll — in making the election commitment, as he ramped up his planning attack on the government.
“This electorate is a microcosm of what is wrong with Sydney. You’ve got a government that overrides councils and allows too much development, which is badly designed,” Mr Daley said.
“Ryde is one of the main areas which has suffered from the planning system. Here, in three priority precincts where the council has been overridden by the government, 13,500 new dwellings have come in (at Epping, Macquarie Park and North Ryde).
“And while this has all been happening, Victor Dominello has been asleep at the wheel in the local area as the mayor has been railing against this for years.”
He conceded, however, that Cr Laxale faced a tall order to oust Mr Dominello in the blue-ribbon seat.
Asked if Labor felt Ryde was in play at the March poll, Mr Daley said: “This is one of our more difficult seats to win.
“We need a 9.5 per cent swing to form government, and Jerome needs 11.4 per cent. He’s got a more difficult task than I do to become Premier — and I’m climbing Everest. But we’ll give it a crack.”
‘HUNDREDS OF SPACES’
Mr Daley described the promise of a new carpark at West Ryde as a “rescue plan” for commuters.
“Instead of people driving around, doing loops of the area as they look for a park, we want to provide more spaces for them,” he said.
Asked how many spaces there would be in the new carpark, he said: “If I was from the government I’d make up a figure and tell you now, and then I’d go away and they’d do the research and the figure and costs would be wrong.
“We’re going to talk with the experts and work out what’s needed here. Today, we’re giving people the commitment and saying the funding will be there for it.”
Later, he said the carpark would have “hundreds” of spaces.
Cr Laxale attacked the government for not spending the “already allocated” $25 million in funding on a commuter carpark in his LGA.
“They wanted to build it on Eastwood Oval, taking away our precious open space — and then they wanted to put it in the middle of the town centre, which would cause even more traffic gridlock,” he said. “But if Labor wins the election, we’ll build it at West Ryde station.”
Mr Dominello hit out at the Labor promise, saying it was “all feathers and no meat”.
“There are no details around where it would be located and how many spaces,” he said.
“What the Labor Mayor has done is abandon the people of Eastwood and has taken the $25 million pledged for a commuter carpark in Eastwood and repackaged it for West Ryde.
“There should be a solution for both West Ryde and Eastwood. I am working with the Greater Sydney Commission for a solution to help West Ryde.”
COMMUTERS’ THUMBS-UP
The Labor plan was welcomed by commuters at West Ryde station.
Lynn Dang, of West Ryde, said she was one of the many locals who “do the loops around, looking for a park” in the area.
“I generally drive to work from here to the city, because there aren’t enough carparks at West Ryde,” she said.
“The street parking here is metered … and you’ll find a lot of people are parking in the residential areas because of so few parks around the station.
“I’ve lived here five years and parking has always been a big problem. I’d rather not drive to the city for work, not just because I’d save some money on petrol, but it’d be better for the environment.”
Leighton Chen, of Meadowbank, said the extra parking would “make my life easier”.
“I travel to the city from here for study and work, and it would make a difference if extra parking was here,” he said.
“I haven’t worked out yet who I am voting for (at the next state election), but something like this could sway me.”
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