From: bob@pta.pyramid.com.au (Robert Vernon)
Subject: Re: Sydney Harbour Tunnel Update #19 (Q
Organization: Pyramid Technology Corporation, Sydney
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 09:33:47 GMT

In article <993300070@peg.pegasus.oz.au> beam@peg.pegasus.oz.au writes:
>
>does anybody think that is actually worth spending .75 billion dollars

yes

>to get more cars into sydney during peak hour?

But I don't go into the city.  I go from the south side to the north
side and back each day.  The city is in my way.  The tunnel has reduced
my travel time by up to 15 minutes.

>after peak times it seems to me that it doesn't really acheive much and yet
>all the traffic passing at these times still get taxed (tolled) extra
>to help build the thing (if the tunnel hadn't been built the bridge tax should
>have gone down (it used to be $1 before the tunnel plan)).
>
>is this a case of the community at large paying for the luxury of just a few
>citizens and the richest few at that?

The community at large is not paying for it.  The ones who use the
tunnel or the bridge are paying for it.  (Except for the occasional
short fall in revenue that the government has to pay for).

I happen to live on the wrong side of the harbour compared to where I
work.  And I drive because I HATE public transport.  If it wasn't for
me and people like me there would be no traffic problem.  So it is only
fair that they slug me for the cost of it.

>                                 how many car parks exist in sydney city?

Just enough for the casual visit.  Not enough for the everyday
commutor.  And who can afford to park in the city every day anyway.

>i would guess it would be less than 50 thousand, but i think a lot more people
>than that will end up paying the toll on a regular basis. i would also be
>surprised if much more than a small proportion of the city parkers would be
>working for much less than a $100K package each year.

If I worked in the city I would put up with public transport.  It can
actually be convenient then.  Note that most public parking stations
have their prices artificially inflated by Sydney City Council.  This
is to try and discourage people from bringing their cars.  Which it
does.  So only the rich and the company subsidised drive to the city
every day.  They pay through the nose for the privilege.  Everyone
else uses public transport.

Sounds like your we are already heading towards your ideal.

>another other point is whether the city will be better of for the change.
>there will be no requirement and no money to think much about moving from
>private to public transport in sydney city for many years to come. what
>government could even consider regulation to reduce the numbers of cars in
>the city now when that would result in such an expensive tunnel being under
>utilised?

But the city itself is well served by public transport.  Its people
like me who are the problem.  I hate catching a bus, then a train,
then another bus every morning.  And I refuse to do the reverse in the
evening.  And there's no way you can solve that public transport
problem for all the suburb to suburb variations that people want.

>don't get me wrong. i'm still completely blown out by what has been acheived,

Actually, I've been a bit disappointed in the tunnel.  After all the
build up I was expecting something really magical.  But on my first
drive through it looked exactly like a tunnel.  A real let down.

>but i wonder if more a "wonderful folly of" than a "wonderful advance for"
>sydneyKind.

As I said, it saves me 15 minutes of sleep time.  That must count for
something.


Bob V!

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