Bringing Light Rail Down Under

During a recent speech to the Sydney Transport Summit on August 3, Lord Mayor Clover Moore called for a commitment to planning and building a light rail network for the city of Sydney, Australia.

"There seems to be a real resistance to government investing in public transport infrastructure in Australia's cities in recent decades. I'd go as far as saying there's actually an anti-public transport bias. Public transport has been viewed by governments as a social cost - as a type of welfare program for those who can't afford to drive. Yet research from overseas studies shows that people from all socio economic groups will readily switch to public transport if it is fast, comfortable and convenient enough, with enormous economic, environmental and social benefits."

"In the UK, Europe, and even in the US, the home of the motor car, hundreds of cities are now being re-invigorated and transformed through the introduction of modern light rail and similar mass transit systems. We must learn from their example and experience."