Parra News April 2 2024

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Parra Matters
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Index
Troy Dodds
@troydodds
Are music festivals becoming extinct?
How are music festivals getting it so
wrong at the moment?
The cancellation of Splendour In
The Grass is just the latest in a long list of festivals
that have bitten the dust in recent months.
They are no longer attracting the huge numbers
and demand they once were and the sector
appears to be on its knees.
Bus services are an essential part of Sydney’s
public transport system. In a far-flung, car-dependent
city, rail and Metro lines cannot extend
everywhere. It is buses that fill the gaps,
carrying people to jobs and basic services, and
bringing a measure of social inclusion to residents
in disadvantaged, underserved pockets
of the community.
It’s an incredible fact that bus services in
NSW carry 40 per cent of all public transport
passengers, but receive only two per cent of
transport capital expenditure. While franchising
of the delivery of bus services is now
complete across Sydney – and was inherited
by the current NSW government – there is still
a public responsibility to keep the network
updated, better plan and manage essential infrastructure,
and recruit bus drivers and other
operational staff. Current driver shortages are
only part of the way to being redressed.
Over the past year, the government’s Bus
Industry Taskforce has held public consultations
– including in Parramatta, Epping and
Blacktown. It has invited submissions and
survey responses, of which more than 8,000
have been received. While a final report is due
to be published in May, last October’s interim
report identified the key problem.
Namely, that Sydney’s bus network is concentrated
in the eastern and south eastern
suburbs, as well as the lower north shore.
However, there is nothing like the same frequency
around Parramatta – supposed to be
the geographic centre of the city – and it gets
progressively worse further west.
Alan Mascarenhas
@alanmasc
News.............................................................1-9
Business......................................................10
Life & Style............................................11-12
Transforming bus services is a tough challenge
that Sydney must confront. With greater
Sydney approaching a population of 9 million
by 2056, and almost half of all residents expected
to be located around Parramatta and
further west, rebalancing the bus network to
reflect population and employment movements
is simply an unavoidable task.
This will require a step-change in servicing
of Sydney’s north-west and south-west growth
areas, as well as improved interconnections
throughout western Sydney.
Our road network is pretty much finite. At
some point, more efficient use of infrastructure
has to occur through a shift from private
vehicles to public transport. And new housing
supply needs to not only reroute around Metro
(and to a lesser extent) train stations, but
also key bus corridors.
Bus services in Sydney can be roughly divided
into three categories. The first are so-called
rapid routes – a good example is the Northern
Beaches B-Line or T-way connecting Parramatta
with Liverpool and Rouse Hill. These
involve at least some degree of dedicated bus
lines, bus priority and associated infrastructure.
Then there are high-frequency routes.
The government has already begun planning
a Rapid Bus initiative to link the coming Western
Sydney Airport and aerotropolis region
with Penrith, Liverpool and Campbelltown –
and there are good arguments to absolutely
extend this to Parramatta.
Beyond this, our region also needs to establish
high-frequency routes that can upgrade
Entertainment..................................13-21
Business Directory....................22-23
Sport..............................................................24
There’s likely a variety of reasons.
Cost-of-living is a huge part of the reason
people aren’t buying tickets.
But the festival-going generation of a few
years back is also growing up, and time and
comfort suddenly become priorities. Festivals
often rob both of these.
A shift in drinking culture, quality of lineups
and huge costs of drinks and food at the
events are also likely contributing factors.
It would seem like the only survivors will be
festivals with truly unique line-ups, big names
that you haven’t seen in years or would be unlikely
to see again for some time.
I’m keen to know what you think is behind
the collapse of the sector. Get in touch!
Parramatta must get on the buses
into the rapid bus routes of the future. Some
mentioned by the Bus Taskforce interim report
as being on the radar within the next five
years include the 550 (Parramatta to Macquarie
Park via Carlingford and Epping), the
545 (also to Macquarie Park via Dundas Valley
and Eastwood) and the 525 (Parramatta to
Strathfield via Olympic Park).
In the first two cases, residents are paying the
price for the failure of successive governments
to establish connections between Parramatta
and Epping. Meanwhile, even as the current
NSW government moves to lock in Stage 2
of Parramatta Light Rail, it has always been
a head scratcher to me why huge population
centres like Parramatta and Wentworth Point
are not connected by bus. There is also an urgent
need to reinstate the express bus service
from Parramatta to the city (the old M52).
Beyond this, Transport for NSW is proposing
an extension of local bus services in parts
of Cumberland. Pemulwuy, Wentworthville,
Greystanes, Merrylands, Granville and Auburn
are all areas that warrant additional offpeak,
evening and weekend services.
In coming years, the bus policy agenda is
likely to be busy. It includes transitioning the
bus fleet to zero-emissions technology, and
accelerating this rollout in Western Sydney.
Better real-time information for passengers,
including signage and apps that actually work.
And navigator aides for bus drivers to better
master their routes (no more gnarly corners).
Parramatta needs to be at the centre of this
revolution given we’re at the centre of Sydney.
52904
Whatever you are looking for you will find it at
WENTWORTHVILLE SHOPPING PLAZA . . .
At the Plaza you can shop for groceries,
fruit & vegetables and enjoy the café and
restaurant special menus. Woolworths
and BWS both are situated in the Plaza
providing our local public easy access
to daily needs. We have hair & beauty
salons as well in the Plaza. We
also have a mobile phone shop
operating at our centre.
The Plaza also accommodates a bakery and a real
estate agency. There is plenty of car space in the
car park and under cover parking available with
easy access to the shops!
AVESTA
TAYLORING
OPEN 7 DAYS
7:00AM TO 12:00AM
wentworthvilleshoppingplaza.com.au
336 GREAT WESTERN HIGHWAY, WENTWORTHVILLE
WW52904 WW49934
4 parra news » Tuesday, April 2, 2024