Cathy Brown's blog

MEDIA RELEASE | Tuesday, 26 February 2013

TRANSPORT FOR ALL FORUM TO BE HELD AT NSW PARLIAMENT

Shadow Minister for Transport, Penny Sharpe today announced that NSW Labor will host a forum on how to make the public transport system accessible to all people.

Ms Sharpe said that the forum on March 15 would have two aims:
1.    To review and provide feedback to the NSW Government's Disability Action Plan; and
2.    To allow public transport users – and in particular people with disabilities and other mobility issues – to talk about their experiences with public transport in Sydney and NSW more broadly.

"The Disability Action Plan was quietly released late last year and has had little or no public attention given to it," Ms Sharpe said.

"I want to give commuters with a disability or mobility issues a chance to provide feedback on the plan.

Graffiti vandals are leaving their mark more often on Sydney's trains and railway stations.

MEDIA RELEASE | 22 February 2013

GRAFFITI AND VANDALISM ON TRAINS UP TEN PER CENT FOLLOWING CUTS TO OFFICER PATROLS

There has been a ten per cent increase in graffiti and vandalism on Sydney's trains – at the same time the O'Farrell Government has reduced the number of officers patrolling the CityRail network.

According to RailCorp's own figures, obtained under Freedom of Information laws by the Shadow Minister for Transport Penny Sharpe, there were 12,158 incidents of graffiti or vandalism in 2011/12, up from 10,926 in 2010/11.

Meanwhile, the O'Farrell Government has bungled the transition from transit officers, to uniformed police – resulting in a reduction in the number of people patrolling trains and stations from 750, down to less than 500.

TEN News | 20 February 2013 | North West Pain from Penny Sharpe on Vimeo.

By year's end an extra 100,000 CityRail passengers will be travelling in brand new Waratah trains.

But not everyone is in for a comfortable ride, with commuters who use the busy Western line set to miss out.