Capacity Slashed in Sydney Coronavirus Public Transport Overhaul

Media Coverage Company: Wilson Group Date: 18 May 2020 Publication: Sydney Morning Herald Page: Online Capacity slashed in Sydney coronavirus public transport overhaul Hundreds of thousands of Sydneysiders will have to give up their public transport commute and drive to the city under strict new social distancing measures announced by the NSW government, with Wentworth Park now being floated as a possible temporary parking zone by the Lord Mayor. Capacity on trains, buses and ferries will be slashed, temporary car parking set up at Moore Park and six new pop-up cycleways rolled out across Sydney, Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced on Monday. Wilson Parking will also offer $15 all-day parking on its 10,000 CBD bays, according to its chief executive. Just 12 people will be allowed on a bus and 32 in a train carriage as the government works to maintain strict physical distancing of 1.5 metres on the network. Green stickers will be plastered to seats on public transport, indicating where commuters can sit at a safe distance. Bracing for a huge increase in road traffic as people switch from trains to cars, NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance pleaded with people to commute outside peak hours. Media Coverage Company: Wilson Group Date: 18 May 2020 Publication: Sydney Morning Herald Page: Online And while police say they have no authority to fine people for breaching physical distancing, Mr Constance urged commuters to “show kindness” and common sense over the coming weeks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. “I just want to save lives, I don’t want to see a mass transit system in Australia, in Sydney, a global city, drive the infection rate and people die,” Mr Constance told reporters. Trains will run at 24 per cent capacity and buses at 14 per cent for the foreseeable future, meaning Sydneysiders may be prevented from entering railway stations as they fill up or watch near-empty buses drive past their stops. School children will be prioritised on these usual services, according to the government. “I can understand that some frustrations might want to creep in, but that’s when people need to step up, show some self-responsibility and do the right thing by the people that are there to serve you,” Mr Constance said. Senior government sources said Ms Berejiklian was "nervous" because she feared a "London or New York public transport outbreak". People who opt to drive into the city will have the option of free parking at Moore Park and catching a shuttle bus or light rail service into the city. Up to 90 per cent of the CBD’s private car parks are also empty, according to the government, which is in discussions with businesses as to how to utilise that space. Media Coverage Company: Wilson Group Date: 18 May 2020 Publication: Sydney Morning Herald Page: Online However, Mr Constance deflected questions over whether the government would consider subsidising the fees charged by private inner-city car parks for people opting to drive during the pandemic. Opposition transport spokesman Chris Minns is sceptical the "green dot" method will be enough to enforce physical distancing on the transport network and said the government’s plan was two weeks late. "At the end of the day we're going to have to do better than just green dots and goodwill," Mr Minns said. Meanwhile, think tank the Committee for Sydney commended the government for placing new pop-up cycleways across the city but said it should be a "first step" in rolling out kilometres more. While the government has rolled out about 10 kilometres of temporary cycleways at a cost of $4 million, Paris has installed 650 kilometres, while Britain has committed £2 billion ($3.7 billion) for cycle paths, the commission said. Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore welcomed the new cycleways through the city but lamented the fact people would soon need to use Moore Park as a parking lot. Media Coverage Company: Wilson Group Date: 18 May 2020 Publication: Sydney Morning Herald Page: Online “Of course I would rather it didn’t happen," Cr Moore said, adding that Wentworth Park in Glebe was also being considered an option for temporary parking. “We accept the fact there will be some cars that have to come in and they will have to park somewhere." Mr Constance said there was no "trade-off" between the City of Sydney and the government for providing cycleways in exchange for inner-city temporary parking. “When I rang [Cr Moore] the other day she was very opposed to it. There was no trade-off, we have no option, that’s the point," he said. Ms Berejiklian last week warned the public transport system was nearing capacity for appropriate physical distancing measures. Mr Constance revealed that 570,000 people had used the system on Friday, compared to the usual 2.3 million. Media Coverage Company: Wilson Group Date: 18 May 2020 Publication: Sydney Morning Herald Page: Online Meanwhile, the roads are already operating at roughly 80 per cent capacity, with 86 million car movements recorded in Sydney last Friday, down 19 million from usual. Mr Constance said traffic was likely to worsen across the city as people opted against public transport. “I could sit here and say ‘there’s not going to be congestion on the roads,’ I’d be misleading you, there is,” he said. However, he went on to encourage parents to drop their children at school rather than allowing them to use public transport. He said the strict physical distancing measures on the network would not apply to dedicated school services. The government has promised an even more intense cleaning schedule on public transport, while it is also considering adding more ferry and water taxi services. NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said there was no fine for breaking physical distancing on public transport. “But what I would say is if that 13th person wants to hop on the bus and police are called, well the bus won’t be going anywhere until we’ve got that person off the bus or there’s an appropriate resolution," he said. .

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