Greens NSW MP and Transport spokesperson Dr Mehreen Faruqi has said the 2015-16 NSW budget has the government continuing down the path of building more toll roads and forcing a privately-operated, unintegrated metro line onto Sydney.
Dr Faruqi said:
“This budget is a lazy and cynical moment for transport in NSW, with no real vision for an integrated transport future. It only locks in the projects we know won’t solve congestion or expand public transport, and it does nothing to keep our transport network affordable, integrated, or publicly-owned.
“This budget announces no major transport projects we didn’t already know about, and instead piles more and more money into projects that we know will have disastrous consequences.
“Hundreds of millions more have been allocated to the wasteful NorthConnex and WestConnex toll roads, over $100 million squandered in continuing to rip up the Newcastle rail line, and $84 million to keep on pushing the private metro agenda beyond the North West Rail Link.
“Actually useful transport projects are being neglected — the much-needed Parramatta Light Rail and XPT replacement projects are only being allocated $19 million and $6 million respectively for planning.
“Moreover, active transport projects are being ignored. There’s no commitment to building the cycleway networks we need to protect the safety of thousands of people,” she said.