One of Australia’s leading authorities on sustainable cities and transport says it’s time the State Government got on with a Hobart Light Rail link as the key solution to the city’s future housing demand.

Peter Newman says “Hobart’s ‘housing crisis’ is providing the impetus private developers need to become part of the project. The old excuse that ‘there’s no demand for the corridor’s redevelopment’ is over”.

“The Hobart Rail line provides enormous opportunities to build new centres for housing and economic development around Rail Stations, which is happening in the go-ahead cities, big and small around the globe. This should be a partnership project with private developers as in a City Deal. But it needs real leadership from the State Government”, Professor Newman says.

Professor Newman, who was instrumental in the renaissance of Perth’s rail system, says Light Rail for Hobart is about more than just solving traffic congestion. Around the globe “the cities which are dying off (or dying at the edges) are the heavily car dependent ones.”

“Suburban sprawl is economically bad for cities and their environment and cannot facilitate the face-to-face interaction needed to make cities work.”

Spending the enormous amount of public funds building something like a Western By-pass around Hobart would be a waste of money he says. “To keep accommodating the car just makes things worse, wasting more money in trying to solve a problem. Cities with effective public transport are now where capital is being invested.”

Professor Newman, who’s authored 20 books on sustainability, has just returned from China where he’s been witnessing the development of the ’Trackless Tram’ which he says would be ‘ideal for busy streets without tram infrastructure’. However, Hobart’s dormant 21 kilometre Rail line “is a dream for any city” particularly one with Hobart’s housing and congestion challenges.

Professor Peter Newman, will join Tasmanian Treasurer Peter Gutwein, Transport Economist Bob Cotgrove, and Glenorchy Mayor Kristie Johnston, to debate solutions at a Town Hall Q and A this Thursday at 6pm. The public is encouraged to attend this free event and put a question to any of the panellists.

www.hobartrail.com

Download QandA …
QandA_Flyer.pdf
Ben Johnston, President, Hobart Northern Suburbs Rail Action Group