Something different for once.

We all know that the weekend traffic congestion is the worst. Part of this is caused by the number of trips taken to drop-off and pickup at sporting venues. Finally, the state government might be doing something to address the issue.

Transport for NSW is working with Sutherland Shire Council to introduce weekend bus services that will stop at every major sporting field. It is hoped this will help reduce traffic congestion.

Why has it taken so long for such an initiative? For decades the private bus lobby were able to sway the Government of the day to implement policies that favoured themselves. Hopefully those days are long gone. In the past, a Council could not charge a fare for any bus service it wanted to run (such as a community bus service or Link service).

Details of this new proposal are not clear. If it is a ‘user pays’ service, past experience would suggest that it may not be successful. Time will tell.

An alternative funding source might be to include a levy in the fees charged by the sporting body to its players. This could then be returned to the service provider.

SMH story

Comments welcome.