Hills Transport News - October 2012

Let’s Get Moving

Welcome to the first Hills Transport News: the newsletter for public and private transport in the Hills. This newsletter will cover buses, trains, cars, pedestrians and light rail.

My aim as editor is to improve the dialogue between Hills residents so we can work together to improve transport in the Hills. I want this newsletter to provide unbiased, trustworthy and independent information that can be relied upon to start discussions and take action.

My Hills Transport News is a vital new initiative because we need your help. We all need to share our ideas. We all need to talk about transport in the Hills with our friends, neighbours and colleagues. We all need to contact our local members, our local councillors and 131500 feedback.

2012 is an exciting year for transport in the Hills. Over 15,000 new homes are planned for the Hills so improving transport is critical. The North West Rail Link is in the planning stage, work on the M2 widening is continuing and Hillsbus has added a number of new services. There is still more work to be done.

This newsletter will also cover the activities of The Hills Transport Working Group which is working to maximise the benefits of these improvements for Hills residents and requesting more improvements. The Hills Transport Working Group has initiated campaigns such as the M2 Cashback Scheme, consulted with with the North West Rail Link project team and the opposition transport spokesperson. Media coverage of our campaigns includes 2UE, The Daily Telegraph and various local media.

Happy travelling,
Andrew Punch
Hills Transport News editor

Our Voice in the Media

The Daily Telegraph: $5000 a Year for a 90 Minute Trip

The Daily Telegraph ran a case study on a Beaumont Hills commuter, Mr Silva. Mr Silva spends $108 per week, $5000 per year, on tolls and his commute time still takes 90 minutes.

Lobby group Hills Transport Working Group said drivers such as Mr Silva were paying too much for a poor quality service reducing productivity.

"Between now and when the M2 and Lane Cove Tunnel toll roads revert to government ownership in 2046, residents of northwest Sydney travelling to the city daily will pay $120,000 per car just in tolls," Hills Transport Working Group chair James Fiander said. "Every extra hour commuters take to get to and from work along the M2 and Lane Cove Tunnel represents a productivity loss of over $780 million per year for our city."

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/a-year-for-privilege-of-joining-the-daily-grind/story-e6freuy9-1226275201610

The Daily Telegraph: M2 Cashback

The Daily Telegraph ran a story about congestion on the M2 and the Hills Working Group’s M2 Cashback campaign.

Lobby group Hills Transport Working Group is leading the call for the cashback or compensation scheme.

"Commuters are paying a high price for a service that isn't being delivered," group chairman James Fiander said.

"The road may eventually be better once the widening has been completed. In the meantime the government should provide a cashback scheme to assist commuters."

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/drivers-want-a-return-for-the-pain-of-using-the-m2/story-fnb5f12x-1226275207090

2UE: M2 Cashback

Jason Morrison on 2UE ran a story about congestion during the construction of the M2 while leaving tolls unchanged.

Key points that Hills Transport Working Group chair, James Fiander, made:

• M2 is “reliably bad”, old roads can be worse
• Why do Hills residents miss out on cashback and need to pay the highest tolls in Sydney, when other areas have cashback - such as the M5 and formerly the M4?
• Why is the Hills different? We pay our taxes like the rest of Sydney then we pay $5000 per year extra on tolls
• The situation with the M2 is virtually a monopoly situation
• The free alternatives have been narrowed, such as Epping Rd
• Toll discount during construction would also be fair for Hills residents

http://www.2ue.com.au/blogs/2ue-blog/cash-back-for-hills-residents-on-m2/20120220-1thw6.html

In The News

North West Rail Link EIS Released, Cutting 66% of Buses

The Sydney Morning Herald has reported the release of the North West Rail Link’s first environmental impact statements. Both the Sydney Morning Herald article and a North West Rail Link press release state that buses from the Hills to the city will be cut by 66% once the North West Rail Link is complete.

The Hills district will have grown substantially when the North West Rail Link is completed, so the decision to cut 66% of existing services needs to be thoroughly questioned.

The first EIS is available for download from the North West Rail Link website.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sydneys-next-big-thing--and-its-bigger-than-the-bridge-20120404-1wbwk.html

New Hillsbus Services

Seven Hillsbus services have been upgraded and one new service has been added.

Some services on the 610 route to the city have been changed to express services through the Lane Cove Tunnel. These express routes will be numbered 610X. The 619 route to Macquarie Park and 612 to North Sydney have new services.

Routes 610X, 616X, 617X and 618 will soon have new or updated services - check the new timetables.

Hillsbus has started a new route from Rouse Hill Town Centre to the City, the 607X. This service travels directly down the T-way, then down the M2 and Lane Cove Tunnel. The 607X does not go through the back streets of Rouse Hill like the 617X.

Hillsbus has also started a new service to North Sydney from Rouse Hill - the 602. According to Hillsbus it is expected that passengers from Kellyville will save around 25 minutes when travelling to North Sydney.

Unfortunately the 602 service does not go through the Lane Cove tunnel. Travelling from Riley T-way to North Sydney using the 602 is 6 minutes slower than catching the 617X into the city and catching a train back to North Sydney according to 131500.com.au

When the problem was stated, Hillsbus replied: “Hillsbus and Transport for NSW made the decision on the path for Route 602 based on an overall network assessment of how to serve all customers. Hillsbus is aware of the desire for a North Sydney express service and is investigating options how this can be accommodated.”


For more details please visit the Hillsbus website.

Upcoming Meetings

Meetings of the Hills Transport Working Group steering committee are held every second Wednesday. All members are welcome.

This month the meetings will be on the Wednesday: 3rd, 17th and 31st of October 2012.

Please check the online calendar for last minute changes or cancellations. An iCalander file is also available for smartphones and various email clients.