Image: Transport for NSW
The New South Wales transport department has launched a new interactive, approach to transport planning to capture the input of transport users and the community to a new 40-year transport roadmap as part of its $41.5 billion transport infrastructure program.
The move is part of the state’s new Future Transport Strategy that will guide its approach to public transport and roads infrastructure through flexible planning that is adaptable to rapid social, economic and technological changes.
The Future Transport Strategy will place a greater focus on supporting new and emerging technologies to create better outcomes for transport customers, as well as supporting passenger and freight services.
The strategy supports the Greater Sydney Commission’s aims to create a more productive, liveable and sustainable city and will coordinate with Infrastructure NSW’s State Infrastructure strategy and the Sydney Regional Plan being developed during 2017.
The first stage of the Future Transport Strategy website is now live, providing insights into the transport planning process and a snapshot of what has been achieved since the 2012 Long Term Transport Master Plan.
The website is the first stage in a range of initiatives to shape the future of transport in NSW. Early next year consultation on the state’s transport future will begin, using a digital experience to find out what services customers want over the next 40 years.
According to Clare Gardiner-Barnes, Deputy Secretary Freight, Strategy & Planning, “The approach will be designed to get more people involved in transport planning and generate more meaningful input that we can really use to shape the future of transport in NSW.
“Future Transport Strategy is about bringing our customers, industry and the community along the planning journey with us, using digital technology to take consultation to a new level in 2017,” she said.
The NSW government’s transport project currently includes the Sydney Metro network in the Northwest, City, West and South West, the Northern Beaches B-Line, as well as light rail projects in the Sydney CBD and South East, Newcastle and Parramatta. It is also covers the improvement of country roads and country rail.
Ms Gardiner-Barnes explained that the new strategy aims to take a fresh approach to planning and build on the NSW government’s commitment to be more technology focused and to lead customer based reforms such as those in point to point transport.
NSW Government has developed five key technology strategies to personalise transport:
- Personalise customer interactions
- Transform the mass transit network
- Foster shared, demand-responsive services
- Enable connected and automated vehicle platforms
- Create intelligent transport networks, managed with data.
More information about how citizens can help shape the future of transport planning in NSW through the Future Transport Strategy will be available early next year.
