Active transport progress in NSW

Oliver Deed, Managing Director of ECF, offers some reflections on the dominance of the car in Sydney and NSW’s active transport journey to date

Having visited towns and cities around the world, I often wonder why I love some and dislike others. Whilst many focus on the obvious, like the the attractions on offer, or the food and drink available, I often think there is something intangible that governs my own assessment of a place. Having mused on this for a while, I think I have finally alighted on what it is. Although this may sound glib, I think the balance between cars and people has a profound influence on the way I view a place and, generally, the best are those that have fewer cars and more public spaces for people to enjoy. I think of the cities I love most in Europe, like Antwerp, Brussels, Munich, Paris and Rome, and each of them has wonderful car-less spaces in which people can convene and relax. Increasingly my own city of London is moving towards creating these types of spaces, and it is all the better for that.

How about Sydney? I have returned to the city after some time away and I am currently living in the CBD. One cannot fail to be struck by the sheer beauty of the city, which benefits from lying on the shores of a natural harbour that is unlike any other in the world. However, as I look out onto Barangaroo Precinct, with the Western Distributor in the corner of my eye, it would be insincere not to reflect on the sheer dominance of the car here, which has not changed much since I was last in town. If anything, the traffic feels more dominant than ever, with the roar of the engine providing the daily soundtrack to life. The balance between cars and people has, if anything, shifted in the wrong direction.

However, there are significant efforts to change this, with the NSW Government looking at measures to increase active transport in Sydney and across the state. Since my last visit, several cycleways have been installed in the CBD and it has been good to see these in use by commuters and the throng of takeaway delivery drivers that now seem to populate every city in the world. Late last year the Active Transport Minister, Rob Stokes, published an Active Transport Strategy which outlines an ambition to double the number of trips completed by walking or cycling in the next 20 years. The document also makes the case for 15-minute local neighbourhoods, powered by walking, cycling and placemaking interventions, which starts to articulate the positive benefits a modal shift away from private car usage can unlock. That has as much applicability in Sydney’s CBD as much as it does in rural NSW.

Turning back to my own city for a moment, London has long been preoccupied with increasing active transport journeys, and the placemaking impacts this can have. That has not always been popular and you only have to search for the words “Low Traffic Neighbourhood” to find out what I am referencing. That said, underpinned by good communication and genuine community engagement, local councils across London, including some we have worked with, have been able to make positive interventions that reduce and calm traffic, and encourage more people to walk and cycle. Accompanied with measures like tree planting, seating installation and the general greening of areas, there are plenty of examples of spaces across London being recaptured for use by people rather than private vehicles. A visit to Walthamstow in the north of the city is a must for anyone wanting to explore the change that can come from prioritising active transport over private car use.

ECF will continue our community engagement work in London (in places like Enfield, Haringey, Greenwich and the such like) on active transport projects and, we hope to make a contribution to moving NSW towards meeting its stated goals as well.