Introduction
The Central Coast Transport Strategy has been asked for by the community for nearly 10 years. An appropriate study and the formation of a strategy had been advocated by the community, principally by the Central Coast’s Planning subcommittee of the Community Environment Network and the Sustainable Transport committee of the Community Environment Network.
The Community Environment Network (CEN) was originally formed as a peak organisation of groups and individual interested in environmental issues on the Central Coast of the state of New South Wales, Australia in about 1998. The CEN was originally formed out of an initiative of the two Catchment Management Committees on the Central Coast, then manageing the catchments of Brisbane Waters in the south and Tuggerah Lakes in the north. These Catchment Management Committees have now been disbanded by the State Government and have been superceded by the Hunter Catchment Management Authority taking the same role but at a regional level.
As one of the founding members of the CEN and as a Director of the Habitat Association, Dr. Ray Rauscher has been a unwavering advocate for a wholistic regional approach to transport of the Central Coast. As Chair of both sub committees of the CEN has made numerous representations to the New South Wales (NSW) State government for a strategic approach to transport on the Central Coast of New South Wales.
On a visit by Mr. Reese, the premier of NSW, to Toukey in 2008, Dr Rauscher was able to have face to face discussions with the premier. Dr. Rauscher outlined the urgent need for a comprehensive approach when planning transport systems on the Central Coast.
With the Central Coast being the overflow dormitory suburb of Sydney over the past 40 years and now becoming a fast growing region in its own right, transport systems need to cater for a range of needs. With the southern localities near Gosford no longer able to accommodate further green field development growth, but providing large areas of higher density urban renewal and the northern areas north of Wyong now being opened up for massive green field development, transport systems must adapt to this new scenario.
The Wyong area, with new town centres planned at Warnervale and Wadalba East and substaniat business and commercial developments and already established areas such as Tuggerah, Lakehaven and Northlakes, transport structures will need to adapt in this northern region of the Central Coast.
Even further north but within the Central Coast’s bus network, a massive amount of development is coming on line, with a new Shopping complex planned at Lake Munmorah, housing developments planned at Gwandalan, Wyee Point and Wyee.
A conservative estimate of the amount of expected population in the North Wyong area is a extra 70 thousand by the year 2031 under the Central Coast Regional Strategy 2006.
From community support for a strategy and no doubt Dr. Rauscher’s persistance as a respected voice in the community, the Central Coast was given a draft Transport Strategy in 2010.
Following is the submission on this strategy by the Community Environment Nework from the Sustainable Transport Committee.
The submission is quite critical of the strategy in the way it has presented a future transport senario for the Central Coast. The draft strategy was not convincing in the way it presented the strategy.
The strategy did not seem to analyse the data presented to form any conclusions, needs, or lack of services etc. and as a result was not able to establish objectives to work towards using a strategic planning formulation process.
Habitat Association 