SUBJECTS: Geography
YEARS: 7–8, 9–10
Long lines of cars, frustrated drivers in peak traffic: familiar?
As the population of Australia's major cities continues to rise and spread outwards, increased strain is placed on existing infrastructure such as roads.
People often look to government to fix urban problems. Could a light rail system solve Sydney's western suburbs transport woes?
Things to think about
- 1.Traffic congestion can occur anywhere but it's most often experienced in cities and their suburbs. Think of places where you've seen or experienced traffic problems. Why does this happen? What factors might cause traffic congestion?
- 2.According to David Borger, what demographic changes are occurring in Sydney? How do these affect jobs and the economy? Give reasons why Parramatta's Lord Mayor, John Chedid, supports the rail proposal. A map of the light rail project is shown. What suburb is the hub of the network? Take note of the surrounding suburbs that would be connected to the hub.
- 3.Why is the rail network based around Parramatta? How will this benefit the local business community? All those interviewed in this clip seem to support the project. Do you think some individuals or groups might be against the proposal? Why might they object? What other steps need to be undertaken before the project can begin? Why are these steps important?
- 4.Investigate and map the public transport networks that exist in the region of Parramatta. Use news articles and/or reports to identify problem areas in terms of traffic congestion, then add these to your map. Next, find future population estimates for Parramatta and surrounding suburbs. Draw conclusions about whether a light rail network will help to alleviate transport issues in this region.
Date of broadcast: 10 May 2013
Copyright
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