|
Feasibility study into Park & Ride facilities |
|
|
|
|
Monday, 23 October 2006 |
A ring of park and ride facilities surrounding the Parramatta CBD encouraging thousands of local nine to five office workers to leave their cars on the city outskirts before catching express shuttle buses into work has been put forward as a solution to Parramatta’s parking problems.The Chairman of the Greater Western Sydney Economic Development Board today called for the formation of a Working Party to investigate the feasibility of Park and Ride Facilities being established along key arterial routes surrounding Parramatta CBD. The Park and Ride system – which is now used successfully across the United Kingdom and United States – reduces inner city traffic congestion by encouraging office workers to use shuttle buses for the final five to ten minutes of their journey into work.
Mr Jim Bosnjak OAM said that while the Board supported the goal of Parramatta Council to better manage parking across the Parramatta CBD, a long-term traffic management plan was needed to cope with the doubling of the local workforce under the Parramatta REP. He said a Board survey indicated the majority of local businesses supported more long-term parking.
"Local business has real difficulties with the current system of car parking provided in the Parramatta CBD," Mr Bosnjak said. "Parramatta Council is doing what they can to manage the growing demands being placed on local parking resources. But we need a long-term solution to Parramatta’s parking problems. The existing network of parking stations in the Parramatta CBD should be reserved for short-term parking only.
"I believe there is tremendous merit in examining the creation of park and ride facilities surrounding the outskirts of Parramatta. These facilities would provide cheap and secure parking for nine to five office workers. Under the Park and Ride concept, these workers would quickly park their cars in cheap and secure car parking stations before catching express shuttle buses into the CBD.
"The majority of inner city workers in Parramatta don’t need their cars during the day. If we could get these people out of their cars before they reach the CBD, inner city traffic congestion would be significantly reduced. While we must do all we can to encourage more people out of their cars and onto public transport, the fact is that many will always use private transport. We need an attractive and cost-effective system to target these workers."
Mr Bosnjak said a major investigation would be required to determine where the Park and Ride facilities should be established, but potential locations would include Rosehill, North Parramatta, Westmead, Granville and Merrylands.
"The Park and Ride facilities would need to be close enough to the city to enable express shuttle buses using bus priority measures to get them to their city locations in five to ten minutes. These buses would be clean fuel low floor vehicles that allowed people to quickly board and depart. The success of the system would be reliant upon workers reaching their city destinations quickly, but without being burdened with the high costs of inner city parking."
Mr Bosnjak said there was also merit in the operation of Central Area Transit Service (CATS) buses circling the city in both clockwise and anti-clockwise directions. This system would encourage the many people who currently use a car for short trips within the city to catch a bus instead.
Overview of the Board’s Draft Working Paper on Park and Ride Facilities:
Operation
The Greater Western Sydney Development Board has prepared a Draft Working Paper seeking to progress - through the support of key government, business and community stakeholders - the development of a strategy capable of creating a series of Park and Ride facilities surrounding the Parramatta CBD. These sites would be located close to major arterial routes and be able to support mass volumes on cars in secure and safe buildings.
Express Shuttle Buses
These Park and Ride facilities would be supported by clean fuel low floor express shuttle buses capable of conveying passengers to their selected destination within five minutes of boarding. Shuttle buses would provide passengers with regular services in both clockwise and anti-clockwise directions through the city center. The Board believes there is also merit in the operation of Central Area Transit (CAT) bus services, which would provide public transport between the key employment, community and retail centres of Parramatta.
Costs
While it is still to early to estimate management or usage costs of Park and Ride Facilities, overseas examples have proven that free or subsidised parking and shuttle services are essential towards reducing inner city traffic volumes.
Benefits
These services would reduce inner city traffic volumes within the Parramatta CBD to manageable levels during a period when local rates of employment and car use are rising dramatically. Overseas success with Park and Ride facilities has shown use of the services is greatest when it is part of an integrated public transport network. Other benefits include reduced on-site parking, employer/employee tax credits, improved employee recruitment and retention, improved customer service and employee morale, improved corporate image and corporate profitability.
The Next Stage
The Greater Western Sydney Economic Development Board will notify potential stakeholders of a Working Paper Discussion Session they will be invited to attend. Organisations wishing to view the Draft Working Paper to make comment prior to this meeting can access it on www.gws.org.au or contact the Board on (02) 9890 9066 or
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
What Chamber Does 
