Tasmania’s Infrastructure Minister Rene Hidding is being urged to listen to Hobart and Glenorchy residents and ‘get real’ about tackling traffic jams.
The Hobart Northern Suburbs Rail Action Group says a recent poll revealed two-thirds of Denison voters supported a light rail link, amid increasing numbers of cars, trucks and tourists on the road.
The Rail Action Group has warned “parents of school children should brace themselves for worsening delays, so long as the Minister ‘fiddles at the edges’.”
Its President Ben Johnston says “offering free bus fares prior to 7am is Mr Hidding’s big offering, while he neglects the disused rail line between Hobart-Glenorchy-Brighton, which could get thousands of commuters off the road.”
Mr Johnston says “Mr Hidding should be apologising to parents of school children over his neglect of a viable, common sense transport solution”.
Mr Johnston says “three congestion summits did nothing to alleviate a traffic crisis identified early last year on Hobart’s Brooker Highway and Mr Hidding has ignored our requests to discuss the rail corridor.”
The Rail Action Group says “the State Government wants tourism and population growth, but is doing nothing to plan for it.”
A 2013 State Government report predicted six million trips per annum will be undertaken on the proposed light rail system with annual operating and maintenance costs of $2.5 million easily covered by fares.
http://www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/88629/The_Light_Rail_Business_Case_-_Hobart_to_Glenorchy_2013.pdf
Ben Johnston President, Hobart Northern Suburbs Rail Action Group
