2016-06-24
Perth’s traffic gridlock could be a thing of the past under an ambitious new public transport plan developed by the Greens, which would save money, reduce dependence on cars and create a cleaner, more liveable city.
The $9.65 billion Transit City plan includes a grid network of new passenger rail, light rail, bus priority transit and 811km lanes for high frequency buses, moving commuters across the city quicker and cheaper.
The plan will also reinstate $500million of Federal funding for the MAX light rail, an election promise broken by the Barnett Government.
Australian Greens Senator Scott Ludlam said the 15 year plan reverses the trend of spending billions on roads, which was making Perth the most congested city in Australia.
“Transit City prioritises spending on networked public transport, revolutionising the way we move around our city. The plan would save commuters up to $1,500 a year if they used public transport instead of cars,” he said.
“People in Perth’s outer suburbs have high transport costs and less access to convenient accessible public transport. We want to fix this massive inequality, starting today.”
See the full report and video here:
http://scott-ludlam.greensmps.org.au/transitcity
Transit City includes:
- 71km of new passenger rail that links existing rail lines
- 65km of light rail built over 10 – 15 years including MAX Light rail
- 283km of Bus Priority Transit priority lanes and signalling to link strategic centres.
- A 811km network of high frequency buses running along greatly simplified routes
- Dramatically increase the frequency of all services to make public transport more convenient
- Fill the gaps in the network to provide a better service no matter where you live
QUICK FACTS
- Perth is the most expensive city to own a car, with car commuters spending $9,180 a year on a 5km route, or $22,306 for 25km every year.
- Perth commuters could save up to $1,500 a year, or $30 per week if they use public transport rather than drive a medium sized car.
- About 30 per cent of Australians do not own or use a car
- Over the past 10 years patronage on our rail network increased by 67 per cent - three times the rate of population growth.
- A Dispersed Network system means even a sprawling city like Perth can be a transit city if services are frequent enough