Transport

Principles

The Greens NSW believe:

1. Integrated, accessible, and efficient transport systems will lead to sustainability.

2. State transport infrastructure and major services should be publicly owned and administered, and not run for profit.

3. Maintaining and improving existing public transport infrastructure and services is vital for New South Wales.

4. People have the right to fare-free, efficient, accessible and safe public transport.

5. Transport systems that favour public transport and active transport including cycling and walking are both environmentally superior and more socially inclusive, and deserve far greater support and funding.

6. A shift to rail for long distance passenger and freight transport is an important and effective response to global warming, congestion and pollution, and improves road safety and fuel security.

7. The current emphasis on air and road transport is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, and we must work to shift to low emission transport modes

8. Access to public transport in regional and rural areas is a necessity for communities.

9. Active transport has clear environmental, health and social benefits and should be promoted.

10. Commit to transparency and genuine public engagement in the planning and delivery of transport infrastructure.

11. Transport infrastructure and modes of travel must be prioritised to reduce environmental externalities from the transport sector.

12. Public transport should be as adaptable as possible to disruption from extreme weather events as the impacts of climate change become more severe.

Aims

The Greens NSW work towards:

A. Greenhouse gas reduction and energy efficiency

12. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from both the production of transport infrastructure and the provision of transport services.

13.Transition our transport systems to ecologically sustainable and renewable energy sources.

14. Prioritise building a high speed rail network on the east coast of Australia with minimal impact on high conservation value areas.

15. Support upgrades to high-performance rail on strategic corridors.

16. Ensure freight transport is safe and ecologically sustainable.

17. Support and promote car-sharing initiatives in urban and regional areas.

18. Advocate for taxation reform to promote transition to sustainable transport modes.

19. End the construction of new motorways and redirect funding to public transport infrastructure, while supporting road safety upgrades.

20. Enforce priority traffic measures such as bus lanes, transit lanes and bicycle lanes, including their maintenance and expansion.

21. Introduce world’ best practice standards on fuel economy, vehicle emissions, and fuel quality to reduce environmental externalities from the transport sector

22. Support the development of high efficiency electric vehicles and supporting infrastructure that uses low-carbon energy sources.

23.Replace current light commercial vehicles with light electric and rechargeable hybrid light commercial vehicles for the transportation of freight in urban areas, provided they can be charged from low-carbon energy sources.

24. Plan and invest in rail as the predominant mode for freight transport.

25. Develop biofuels only when there is no competition with food production and minimal impact on biodiversity, natural resources and productive agricultural land.

26. Phase out the use of sem0itrailers and B-doubles as the major form of freight transport and replace them with a combination of rail, maritime transport and non-articulated trucks running on renewable energy.

27. Remove competitive road advantages where alternatives exist by implementing pricing mechanisms that incorporate externality costs such as environmental and social impacts, the costs of traffic congestion and damage to roads.

28. “Introduce regulatory and taxation reforms that reflect the long term environmental, social and health impacts of air travel”

B. Affordable and accessible public transport

29.Encourage Support and prioritise public transport and active transport including cycling and walking over private motor vehicle use.

30. Improve planning and increase funding for public transport and safety improvements in rural and regional New South Wales.

31. Stop the sale and destruction of of public transport infrastructure and bring all privatised public transport back into public ownership

32. Support long-term public investment in public transport and rail freight to improve existing services and extend new services, such as bus, rail, light rail and ferry services, to areas of need.

33. Provide late-night public transport services, utilising rail where feasible.

34. Promote and support cycling and walking to public transport facilities as convenient door-to-door travel.

35. Replace private bus, ferry, rail and light rail operations with publicly owned bus and light rail transport services.

36. Maintain sufficient staff levels to ensure that public transport services are safe, user-friendly and efficient.

37. Build and increase a bank of institutional knowledge, including professional, engineering and technical expertise, within the public service to enable long-term integrated planning, and to establish accurate scope and scrutinise design, procurement and delivery from private consultants and contractors.

38. Provide public transport information online, in print and by telephone in other languages as well as in English.

39. Abolish fares for public transport to ensure that everyone gets free public transport at the point of service.

40. For so long as fares have not yet been abolished, retain and extend concession ticket provisions, including periodicals, and integrate ticketing and fare systems so that travellers can make seamless journeys on all types of public transport.

41. Ensure that all railway stations, bus stops, ferry wharves and light rail stops provide safety, adequate seating, shelter from sun and rain, bicycle storage, and timetable information.

42.Develop efficient and attractive accessible interchanges between different public transport modes types, by including secure bicycle storage, kissand-ride facilities and radioalerted taxi connections.

43. Accelerate programs such as Transport Access to provide lift or ramp access to in all railway stations.

44. Initiate a program for reinstating regional rail services where they have been discontinued.

45. Develop seamless public transport links with all adjacent states and territories.

C. Integrated planning

46. All development approval must consider address public transport accessibility, public and active transport needs

47. End Public Private Partnership (PPPs) arrangements for transport projects.

48. Apply ecologically sustainable development (ESD) principles when planning transport infrastructure, for example through mitigating impacts on vegetation surrounding the infrastructure.

49. Ensure integrated transport and land-use planning by vesting responsibility for this in a single agency.

50. Amend Section 94 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 to allow local councils to use developer contributions for local and regional public transport schemes.

51. Negotiate with the owners of existing privately owned tollways for a reduced toll for vehicles with three or more occupants during peak congestion periods and to end tolls for public transport vehicles.

52. Require motorway tunnels and stacks to be filtered to world's best practice, strengthen compliance measures, and direct resources into ensuring this compliance.

53. Oppose the construction of any new large jet airport within the Sydney basin airshed and support the commencement of a process to identify a potential site for the relocation of Kingsford Smith Airport to outside the Sydney basin, taking into account stringent environmental and social criteria.

D. Active transport

54. Prioritise pedestrian mobility and cycling in the community.

55. Provide a safer environment that caters for a variety of cyclist needs and purposes.

56. Provide access storage and free passage on public transport for bicycles.

57. Develop a safe and secure network of on-road and off-road cycling and walking routes, bicycle parking and end-trip facilities, including the construction of physically separated cycleways where possible.

58. Develop a budget for active transport in line with the United Nations recommendations of at least 20% of the total transport budget, including a minimum proportionate contribution from road projects.

59. Support the provision of city bike schemes.

60. Redesign town centres where possible so they provide a welcoming and accessible environment for cyclists and pedestrians.

E. Motorcycles

61. Reduce tollway fees for motorcycles (relative to cars).

62. On city streets that already have kerbside parking spaces allocate the first and last parking spaces to motorcycles.

63. Mandate the disclosure of business cases and cost benefit analyses for all major road and transport infrastructure projects, including details on how such projects meet the best interests of the community and the environment before the Government commits to any project

Definitions:

Integrated transport refers to implementing the following principles of integration:

1. Functional and modal integration: Different modes of transport complementing each other and making travel easier, as well as ticketing and fare systems that allow for multi-modal journeys

2. Transport and land use planning integration: Simultaneous consideration of land use and transport planning to reduce demand for travel and promote public transport, walking and cycling.

3. Social integration: Involving all those who have a stake in transport to have their needs considered.

4. Holistic integration: Ensuring environmental, economic and social elements are integrated such that the whole system provides greater value than the sum of the parts.

5. Sustainability refers to the practice of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) principles: