While the NSW government has acknowledged Sydney’s Parramatta Road is in need of a facelift, they stopped short of announcing any concrete vision or plans. At a summit run by Sydney thinktank the Committee for Sydney, Transport Minister John Graham said that the road corridor’s future could see more housing, new technology, state government involvement – and a possible light rail line.
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00:00It's a road that goes by many nicknames, and at a summit hoping to fix one of Sydney's
00:06most maligned traffic corridors, the NSW Transport Minister ran through them all.
00:12The scar through the heart of Sydney, or the varicose vein.
00:16And while there have been almost as many plans to solve the problem of Parramatta Road as
00:21it has nicknames, none of them have been put into action.
00:24There's been no shortage of visions, as you've already heard, it's just sadly they've failed
00:29to become reality.
00:30A lot of empty shops, derelict shops, a lot of traffic, not much foot traffic.
00:36While the Minister says Parramatta Road is on the government's agenda, they won't be
00:40announcing a solution any time soon.
00:43This morning I want to refuse to add to the tally of broken dreams.
00:47Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore insists there has never been a better time to transform
00:51the neglected strip.
00:53It could become a feeding gateway to Australia's global city, and it could still accommodate
00:58cars.
00:59Light rail along the corridor could carry more than 14,000 people an hour.
01:03Light rail consortium ALTRAC released a private plan for Parramatta Road last month that includes
01:08a new track with 21 stops, reducing vehicle lanes in the process.
01:13It might not be pretty, but Parramatta Road remains one of the last toll-free routes from
01:17Sydney's west into the city.
01:19According to a recent review, Western Sydney motorists are already the hardest hit by tolls.
01:24Removing any of the six lanes here could result in costing them more, as it'd have to divert
01:29onto privately owned roads.
01:30We're going to have to have a conversation about the tolls on WestConnex if we're going
01:34to be taking cars off Parramatta Road.
01:37But without a state government commitment, any plans for Parramatta Road could be stuck
01:41in a lot of conversation and no action.