Study finds transportation system failing Western Sydney
Study finds transportation system failing Western Sydney
A study done by the University of Western Sydney has revealed Sydney's public transportation system is failing one-third of its residents and is unable to meet the needs of some of its most disadvantaged people.
The study, conducted by UWS PhD student Anne Hurni, from the Centre for Cultural Research in partnership with the Western Sydney Community Forum, found that 1.2 million people are being let down by the city's public transportation system.
Ms Hurni says western Sydney is where transport disadvantage is most acutely felt with localities in Campbelltown in Penrith and some parts of Blacktown among the worst served suburbs. These localities have higher proportions of people with mobility constraints such as not having a motor vehicle, being on a low income as well as being poorly served by public transport.
The study looked at transportation access to key services such as hospitals, schools and shops for socially disadvantaged groups. It found half of Sydney's geographical area was further than 800 metres from a medium-frequency transport service with a third living in a "transport disadvantaged" area. When compared to the residential location of disadvantaged groups, the impact is very concentrated. For example, almost three quarters of unemployed young people without a car live in these transport disadvantaged areas.
Ms Hurni says the public transportation failure explains why western Sydney has a higher rate of vehicle ownership than the rest of Sydney, yet 10.9 percent of residents still had no car.
"International studies have shown that that the lack of affordable and accessible public transportation can be a significant barrier to participating in work, education and having access to health care, shopping, social cultural and recreational activities," Ms Hurni says.
Focus groups she has conducted in western Sydney reveal how lack of access to transport affects local residents.
"Our focus groups have shown what people miss out on. For example, transportation difficulties can mean that children are excluded from after-school sports and other activities," she says.
"We had examples of people who had dropped out of vocational education courses because the transport services were inadequate - either they took too long or weren't frequent enough."
Ms Hurni says when new bus routes are designed in the region, more attention needs to be focused on where the services are that people really need to get to, and when people need to travel to these services.
Contact Lyn Danninger, UWS Media Officer
l.danninger@uws.edu.au
02 9678 7075, 0410 564 803
