info@gcc.nsw.gov.au
The productivity outcomes for A Metropolis of Three Cities are to:
- drive opportunities for investment and business across Greater Sydney
- deliver an internationally competitive freight and logistics sector
- support a diverse economy
- support a network of centres
- rebalance the city's eastern economic focus
- deliver a 30-minute city.
Critical in achieving these outcomes is a well-connected city with transport and other infrastructure investments, which can:
- deliver more efficient supply chains, reducing business costs
- increase access to markets, facilitating growth
- enhance business access to a greater number of skilled workers, which increases their employment opportunities and productivity
- enhance business-to-business interactions.
Realising these benefits requires integrated land use and transport planning and a clear understanding of the long-term spatial pattern of land use activities, together with a long-term regional transport network.
The principal elements in achieving the productivity outcomes are:
- Establish a land use and transport pattern around the metropolis of three cities which includes:
- metropolitan centres/cluster (refer to Objective 22)
- an Eastern Economic Corridor (refer to Objective 15)
- GPOP Economic Corridor (refer to Objective 15)
- a Western Economic Corridor (refer to Objective 15).
- Establish a metropolitan transport network which reinforces the metropolis of three cities, particularly the delivery of a 30-minute city where most residents in each city can access their metropolitan centre or cluster within 30 minutes by public transport.
- Develop a network of 34 strategic centres with jobs, goods and services supported by a public transport, walking and cycling network. This would provide residents with a 30-minute public transport service to their nearest strategic centre seven days a week.
- Co-locate activities in metropolitan, strategic and local centres and attract housing in and around centres to create walkable, cycle-friendly neighbourhoods.
- Develop more efficient public transport interchanges to enable people to reach more destinations by transferring between different services.
- Over the life of the Plan, improve connections to the wider region.
Enhancing walkability in and around metropolitan, strategic and local centres is a priority. Direct, safe and accessible routes to local destinations and services should be prioritised within a 10-minute walk of centres (refer Objective 12). This may require improvements to the street environment to encourage walking and cycling. This can be best achieved through place-based planning for centres in accordance with the Principles for Greater Sydney's Centres (refer to Objective 22).
An overview of the principal transport components which will support the delivery of integrated land use and transport outcomes are outlined in Future Transport 2056 and summarised below.
The transport initiatives in this Plan are sourced from Future Transport 2056. They are in four categories: committed, investigation 0-10 years, investigation 10-20 years and visionary 20+ years. The latter three categories require further investigation and ultimately decisions of government on commitments to funding.
Integrate land use and transport plans to deliver the 30-minute city
Infrastructure corridors
A number of major committed and potential transit corridors that will improve connectivity in the Eastern, Central and Western cities are identified in Future Transport 2056. Strategic land use and infrastructure planning across Greater Sydney can reinforce the opportunities created by the existing and proposed mass transit systems by integrating land use and infrastructure planning.
Where possible the proactive and early reservation of corridors to protect longer-term linear infrastructure opportunities should be undertaken to provide greater clarity and certainty for landowners, communities and businesses. The early preservation of corridors also reduces the potential for conflict in the future and can potentially reduce overall project costs22.In assessing potential infrastructure corridors, economic, social and environmental outcomes need to be considered.
Investigate, plan and protect future transport and infrastructure corridors.
An adapting city
Greater Sydney's transport network is facing major capacity constraints, particularly during the morning peak. As the population grows, the challenges of congestion and unreliability of journeys will spread to larger areas of the network and will increase in locations that already experience these constraints.
Addressing the capacity challenges of the transport network is not limited to investment in new services and infrastructure, or fine-tuning management of the existing networks. Changes to how businesses, education facilities, and other activities are operated, together with behaviour changes, can enable customers to use the transport network differently.
Future Transport 2056 includes strategies and actions for travel demand management and better use of the transport network. Optimising the integration of transport and land use helps to address the congestion challenges of the transport network by channelling demand where there is capacity.
Effective planning promotes travel behaviour change to leverage the off-peak spare capacity of the network through strategies such as more flexible institutional arrangements, such as work and school hours.
Support innovative approaches to the operation of business, educational and institutional establishments to improve the performance of the transport network.
Source: Transport for NSW
Future Transport 2056
Land use and transport vision for 2056
To support the land use vision for Greater Sydney, the vision for the transport system will enable people and goods to move conveniently around the city using:
- City-shaping corridors - major trunk corridors with services and infrastructure, such as mass transit, express public transport services and the strategic road network, that will provide turn upand-go access across the metropolitan region and to each of the three cities
- City-serving corridors - higher density corridors concentrated within 10km of metropolitan centres/ cluster that will provide high frequency access to cities with more frequent stopping patterns
- Centre-serving corridors - local corridors that support buses, walking and cycling to connect people with their nearest centre and transport node.
The road and rail network, including dedicated and shared freight corridors, and connections to regional NSW are fundamental parts of this future transport system.
The Movement and Place Framework supports the liveability, productivity and sustainability of places on the transport network. The Framework provides a common planning platform for design of a future network that is better used and supports the safe, efficient and reliable movement of goods and the liveability of places along it.
Future Transport 2056 vision for a 30-minute city
The vision for Greater Sydney is one where people can access jobs and services in their nearest metropolitan and strategic centre within 30 minutes by public transport, seven days a week.
As Sydney transitions to a metropolis of three cities, convenient and reliable access for customers by public transport to their nearest centre is increasingly important for:
- Liveability - improving the quality of life in Greater Sydney by reducing the need for long commutes and helping to manage congestion by better spreading transport demand
- Productivity - reducing the time people spend travelling, increasing people's access to jobs and business' access to workers
- Sustainability - increasing the proportion of trips by public transport, walking and cycling and reducing average journey lengths, thereby reducing emissions and improving air quality
Source: Transport for NSW
2056 Greater Sydney city-shaping network vision
Future Transport 2056 vision for the Greater Sydney city-shaping network
The city-shaping network includes higher capacity, high frequency services providing access to, and between, metropolitan centres/cluster. This network will enable people living in one of the three cities, access within 30 minutes and will improve the efficiency of travel between metropolitan centres. The city-shaping network will need to expand to provide improved access to each metropolitan centre, particularly Greater Parramatta and the metropolitan cluster in the Western Parkland City.
Future Transport 2056 vision for more short walking and cycling trips
Walking and cycling provides an efficient and reliable way to access centres, supports healthy lifestyles and is good for the environment. An aim of Future Transport 2056 is to make walking or cycling the transport choice for short trips - those that are under two kilometres - and grow the share of cycling for trips up to 10 kilometres. Balancing the needs of customers to move easily around centres while ensuring they are attractive places for people is an important outcome.
This is particularly relevant to how our streets are planned and operated. This means that in some streets, pedestrian activity will be prioritised while other streets will be important corridors for public transport and vehicles. Car parking will also be provided in a way that is consistent with the level of access provided by alternative travel choices. As centres become more accessible by public transport, parking space may be used for other purposes, such as for public transport or loading.
Source: Transport for NSW
2056 Greater Sydney strategic road network vision
Future Transport 2056 vision for the Greater Sydney strategic road network
Roads have a critical role in the network, supporting efficient, reliable and fast on-road connectivity to and between the metropolitan centres. The strategic road network facilitates the movement of public transport, freight and private vehicles.
Emerging forms of mobility will rely on the strategic road network, with roads remaining fundamental infrastructure for the movement of people and goods. Investigations to better allocate road space will include equipping the strategic road network with smart technology to allow roads to be used by Connected and Automated Vehicles and to assist traffic and demand management.
Future Transport 2056 vision for freight
Supporting the safe, efficient and reliable movement of goods around Greater Sydney will require a high capacity network for moving goods between trade gateways and freight precincts, such as from port to warehouse, and providing convenient access to service the centres.
The future network will support this through the strategic road network and improved freight rail connections, particularly between ports and intermodal terminals. On the busiest freight corridor - between intermodal terminals and ports - freight customers will have 24/7 access to rail links. This will help to achieve NSW Ports target of 40% of container movements to and from Port Botany by rail in 2045.
Source: Transport for NSW