Dear Aidan,

What you're saying is logical but they'll end up paying
for two freeways instead of just one.

And the growing expansion in the North East would be
best served by the more Eastern connection.

Come on Aiden, nothing on earth could make Bureaucrats work less efficiently, that is the only skill they have perfected. Besides scattering them out all over the place might just mean they would have less time wasting meetings, & communicate electronically. Hell we might even manage a slight reduction in their numbers with a move, about 50% would be a good starting point.

There is no example, anywhere in the world, not even India, where public transport is fuel or cost effective, other than in some GIGO greenie computer model, & we all know how useful they are.

If the ratbag greens, & rabid lefties get their way, we will be reduced to push bikes in the near future. Lefty councils are reducing the number of parking spaces required for close to city apartment blocks, with not even one car space per unit. They do have special parking for bikes however. I actually predicted this push by the number of useless bikeways being added to every bit of road construction, even out here in the sticks, where bikes are rarely seen.

The 1984 world is going to be forced on us, if we don't start kicking very hard.

Way back Sydney had long-term planning and an area known as the Green Belt that was supposed to limit expansion but the pollies saw money to be made by their mates and, quietly also by themselves, and the Green Belt was gradually cut up for housing development.

Even further back there was a bloke called Bradfield who planned for the future but his plans were shelved after his Sydney Harbour Bridge was built, arguably the bridge did more than anything else to bring traffic congestion to inner Sydney.

A good example of planning is the fact that there used to be tram tracks in George St, George St businesses were inconvenienced while the tracks were removed, now they are being even more inconvenienced as the tram tracks are being replaced.

The new tracks are the same rail form and the same gauge so the old ones were just fine; a lot of time and money could have been saved by leaving the old ones under the tar.

Hasbeen,
Forced decentralisation would almost certainly have the exact opposite effect on the bureaucrats - they'd waste more time travelling to meetings, but there'd probably still be a decrease in interdepartmental communication. And reducing the public service workforce is likely to be a huge false economy - you'll end up having to spend much more on consultants who ultimately won't do the job as well.

"There is no example, anywhere in the world, not even India, where public transport is fuel or cost effective,"
Struth, I knew you were ignorant about public transport, but I didn't know you were THAT ignorant about it! In urban areas at least, it's the norm for public transport to be more fuel efficient than cars. Cost effectiveness is a different matter, as there is the significant cost of employing the drivers, plus fares tend to be kept below the market rate because they recognise the benefits of attracting more people onto public transport. Yet around the world there are plenty of profitable bus routes, and some profitable passenger train services. A special mention must go to Hong Kong's MTR, which did not set out to become profitable, but instead aimed for technical excellence and ended up surprising everyone (including themselves) by becoming profitable.

"Lefty councils are reducing the number of parking spaces required for close to city apartment blocks, with not even one car space per unit. "
The fact that there is any mandatory requirement for parking spaces is itself a subsidy for cars! Indeed even if the requirement's optional, the commercial need for it is an extra cost to business that good public transport can greatly reduce.

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Dear Foxy,
Yes they'll end up with the costs of two freeways (or more likely, tollways) instead of one - but also the benefits. of having two.

Is Mise I was silly enough to spend a couple of days in Melbourne a couple of years back. I was reminded of what a catastrophe trams were in Sydney. Yep, they were fine for riding up & down George St, but you needed to take a cut lunch for a trip to Balmain, it took so long, stuck behind those confounded things.

Hell if you had to go right out to Ryde, you needed supplies for a couple of days. Parramatta road was hell on wheels when it had the damn things.

I couldn't believe it when the Gold Coast started wasting billions on mobile chicanes. I have found the place best avoided since the early 70s, but long time residents are telling me it is much worse since the tram started, & are looking to get out ASAP.

Yea Aiden, trains are so profitable that they turn them off at midnight to reduce costs. They leave thousands of drunks in the city, because they can't afford to get them back home.

I loved the train from Cronulla to my office in Sydney. Great things if they fit your usage, & you get a seat each way. Didn't much like subsidising them at considerable cost, when my trip was from Newport to Fairfield. If they want to run them, it must be at the least at full cost recovery.

Meanwhile, up in India they intend building 9,485 km freight-only rail corridors.

The first two corridors, some 3,000+ km are well underway'

Meanwhile, in NSW there are proposals to turn the Great Northern Railway (beyond Armidale) into a bike track.

It is hoped that by doing this the Government will be able to ease the push bike congestion on the New England Highway and surrounding country roads.
Only last week the congestion on the NE H'way reached a new peak when two bikes were seen near Black Mountain and one was observed on the back road from Guyra to Llangothlin.

Those who oppose the conversion of the rail line to a cycleway are selfishly putting the public interest before the desires of a small but dedicated group of bike users.
Those in favour, including Glen Innes council, see it as a fantastic leap forward in tourism potential and a real dollar earner.