Sydney bus network faces first rush hour test as commuters warned ‘it would be foolish to think it will go smoothly’
COMMUTERS in Sydney had their first rush-hour test this morning as they were warned it would be “foolish” to think it would go smoothly.
SYDNEYSIDERS have been warned to expect commuter “chaos” this morning with buses headed in the wrong direction, cars towed away on crowded streets and bus stops bursting with passengers, as the most radical changes to the city’s transport network face their first rush hour test.
Passengers travelling into Sydney’s CBD on Tuesday morning were advised to spend time planning multiple routes into the city centre to avoid peak-hour pandemonium.
One hundred and eighty-four bus routes have been routed away from George St to enable construction of the $2 billion new light rail system.
Buses that used to traverse the city’s busiest artery will now use alternative routes, stop short at the city fringe or even terminate at suburban rail stations, with Railway Square, Wynyard and Martin Place expected to bear the brunt of the changes.
BUS BLUES
Transport chiefs are crossing their fingers that the 67,000 commuters travelling on more than 1000 buses don’t have their memories of the Labour Day long weekend banished by the bus blues come Tuesday morning.
But teething troubles have already been noticed with many of the city’s new bus stops lacking timetable information.
Divisional secretary of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, Chris Preston, said he was bracing for the worst.
“It is the biggest change we’ve seen in CBD transport, it would be foolish to think it’s going to go smoothly,” he told news.com.au.
“I worry there will be people waiting for buses that won’t ever turn up or even at the wrong location. If I was the travelling public I would give myself quite a bit of extra time.”
Mr Preston said he was particular concerned about the number of routes congregating at Wynyard and intersections along Elizabeth St as well as the extra costs forced on passengers changing from buses onto trains.
“[The government] should be able to waive some of these costs during the construction and potential chaos we’re going to see.”
Transport for NSW’s co-ordinator general for CBD transport, Marg Prendergast, said congestion was inevitable but worth it in the long run.
“Habits are hard to break and there’s every chance a bus might take a wrong turn at some point,” she told news.com.au
“It’s going to be difficult but we’re going to do our best to manage all those impacts and keep Sydney moving.
“But ultimately we have to do something about the buses because reliability in the centre of the city was so poor,” she told radio 2GB last Friday.
“Light rail will offer so much more capacity and a turn-up-and-go service but we’ve got pain for the next four years while we do it.”
MORE: What Sydney can learn from Melbourne as it shuts down busy George Street
PLAN AHEAD
Ms Prendergast said CBD commuters should plan their journey at www.transportnsw.info as their route and stop will likely have changed.
An army of 120 pink-clad staff would be on hand to help commuters get to work with 50 police on standby to provide “operational assistance”.
And she had a stark warning to the 20,000 car drivers who enter the CBD on a normal weekday, “If you’re in a clearway or bus zone, we can tow you away because we just can’t have one driver who parks holding up all those buses.”
Meanwhile, enterprising business owners are hoping to cash in on the chaos. Secure Parking chief executive Garth Matthews has suggested car owners join up with blindsided bus users for a trip into the city: “Not only will you have great company on the drive but it will also be a more comfortable trip than squeezing into overcrowded trains”.
But Mr Preston had a plea to perturbed passengers — don’t get angry at the bus drivers, “With the hot temperatures, I think we’ll find a lot of bus drivers and passengers a bit agitated. Don’t take it out on the bus drivers, ring the government of transport, they’re the ones that came up with the changes”.
FIVE WAYS TO AVOID THE BUS CRUSH:
Plan A: Plot your new trip online
Head to www.transportnsw.info to make sure you know when and where your bus is going.
Plan B: Allow extra time
Avoid the 8am-9am crunch time when buses are at their busiest.
Plan C: Take another form of transport
Trains, ferries and the light rail are free of alterations and may be a better bet. But be warned, Wynyard, Central and Newtown stations are expected to be busy with people changing from buses to trains.
Plan D: Car drivers, avoid the city
“We have one appeal to car drivers,” says Ms Prendergast. “If you don’t need to drive through please come round the outskirts or come a bit earlier or later.”
Plan E: Carpool
If you must drive, do the right thing and take on a bus-travelling friend for the next few days. If nothing else, it’s good karma.