I have always been an advocate for more livable cities and that means more efficient public transport.
If elected as Greens candidate for Balmain in the 2011 NSW Election it will be one of my top priorities to help the environment and make the lives of Balmain and Inner West Sydney residents easier by lobbying the State government to expand public transport services and setup a proper integrated transport and ticketing system.
As Mayor of Leichhardt council I worked closely with community groups and other Councils for years to champion extending the light rail from Lilyfield to Dulwich Hill. I support further expansion into the CBD towards Circular Quay to help reduce congestion caused by car and bus traffic and speed up travel times.
Sydney Bus services also have to be made more reliable so that Balmain electorate residents can rely on them to travel to and from work and leisure activities on time. There are few things more frustrating than seeing 2 or 3 full buses drive by your bus stop making you late for work.
I opposed the mega-expensive inner-city Metro because there were more urgent priorities. This was a view the public agreed with, but the Labor government refused to listen and this arrogance cost the taxpayers $400M (and counting) in compensation payments when the government was forced by public opinion to back down.
My federal parliament Greens MP colleagues have achieved a parliamentary inquiry into the feasibility of high-speed rail between capital cities.
In the state parliament I will push for state government cooperation with this project working closely with Greens MP colleagues in the Upper House including No.1 Upper House candidate for the Greens in the 2011 NSW state election David Shoebridge MP who recently called on the NSW Government to shift its focus from tollways to fast, efficient public transport to help get commuters off our clogged roads and to work faster.
David recently stated that "Commuters and businesses are desperate for a long-term solution to Sydney's congestion woes, which cost Sydney's economy an estimated $3.5 billion per year,"
"Public transport spending is good value for taxpayers. Creating safer, cleaner and faster ways of getting to and from work should be a priority for NSW.
"Encouraging car use with more motorways and toll roads will be a dead-end of congestion and pollution for Sydney. Per kilometre, light rail track is far more economical.
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