With fuel prices seemingly escalating on a daily basis many motorists are facing the real prospect of having to park the family car and use some form of public transport.
The ever increasing traffic congestion together with the imposition of extra toll charges has turned the daily trek, to and from the Sydney CBD, into a time consuming, expensive and often extremely frustrating exercise.
And if the stress of this was not enough the difficulty of finding affordable parking within walking distance from the workplace caps off a ritual which has for many become more like an endurance trial than a sometimes pleasurable but necessary activity.
So what are the public transport options?
Trains, buses and sometimes ferries are the primary modes on offer, but nearly all are not optional; by this I mean you can use a train, a bus or a ferry but usually you only have a limited choice in the matter.
In the three areas YourOnlineCommunity operates Parramatta is probably the best served, however with the prospect of losing its ferry and the recent reduction in the rail service timetable most residents will tell you they never had it so bad.
In Wollongong a ferry has never been viable, buses don’t usually venture over the escarpment (unless they are replacing broken down trains) and the train service is slower than it was a hundred years ago – what’s more State Rail is contemplating further reductions in both services and staff numbers.
Sutherland Shire has the benefit of being closer to the CBD than either Parramatta or Wollongong, although its geographic spread ensures the primacy of the motor vehicle as the travel option of choice for most regular commuters.
Anecdotal evidence suggests the biggest single factor deterring motorists from making the switch to public transport is the increased incidence of violence.
On the trains violent physical and sexual assaults are on the rise, if recent newspaper stories are anything to go by, and bus incidents involving smashed windscreens and side windows are also becoming common fare in the tabloids.
If the NSW State Government is really serious about supporting and developing transport infrastructure it must, as a matter of urgency, address the safety of the travelling public.
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