Have your say on independent transport report

Whether you drive, walk, wheel or cycle your way around Wagga Wagga we want to hear your thoughts on the future of transport in the city.

Council last night resolved to place an independent peer review of the technical report, prepared for the Wagga Wagga Integrated Transport Strategy (WWITS), out for further feedback so make sure you don’t miss your chance to have your say.

This independent report is the next step in the thorough process the City of Wagga Wagga is undertaking to develop a blueprint for transport that will turn NSW’s largest regional city into a leading regional city globally.

The independent report encourages the City to take on a ‘bolder approach to transport’ that will result in Wagga Wagga being the ‘world exemplar for regional city movement and place’.

Chief Financial Officer Natalie Te Pohe says the independent report combines feedback collected during the consultation process with technical analysis.

"It is important to stress that these findings are independent and not the view of the City of Wagga Wagga," she said.

"It will be up to the community and Councillors to provide feedback and Councillors will decide what the final Strategy will look like."

Mrs Te Pohe says the independent findings identify a number of opportunities that the City can pursue to enhance transport options and liveability.

"Ultimately we want WWITS to provide the tools that support the community’s vision of being a thriving, innovative, connected and inclusive City, and one that we’d be proud for our children to inherit.

"In order to achieve this we can’t just look at improving how we get from A to B, although we will certainly identify ways of doing this, but also look at our planning processes to ensure we can meet the demands of our growing city."

The independent findings include:

• Locals want to be able to commute by walking or cycling but at the moment the infrastructure isn’t accessible or safe
• There are too many underused parking spaces taking up room in the city centre that could be used for development to activate the area and bring it to life
• Urban sprawl is unsustainable and increases reliance on cars
• The city centre has desirable infrastructure and landscaping and is well maintained but an over reliance on cars and high car parking ratios, especially compared to other regional cities, means it is underutilised and patrons spend less in local businesses
• Quality of pedestrian facilities such as shade, footpaths and crossings in the city centre are mixed

Recommendations in the independent findings include:

• Develop and invest in a walk and ride to school program
• Increase more dense mixed use development in the city’s centre and around the medical precinct
• Remove the minimum parking rate for new development in the city’s centre
• Introduce paid parking
• Improve connections to existing city centre car parks
• Implement and future proof the road network associated with the Bomen Enabling Roads project and encourage freight operators to do business in Bomen
• Centralise development around bus network and work with RMS to improve signal timings to make it easier for buses
• Improve street design to make it more efficient for buses to get around
• Improve pedestrian access in the city centre and medical precinct
• Introduce 2m wide footpaths within 800m walking distance of all schools and tree programs to accompany them
• Replace roundabouts on the Glenfield Road and Pearson Street with traffic lights
• Safeguard against further inappropriate development north of the Murrumbidgee River
• Improve access from the Northern Growth Suburbs to the city centre via North Wagga. This will improve safety on the Gobbagombalin Bridge
• Implement the Active Travel Plan to improve cycling network to benefit every day commuters

For updates, opportunities to contribute to the discussion and to read the independent reports go online: wagga.nsw.gov.au/ourtransport

Make a submission

People can send in written submissions in one of the following ways before Friday 31 March.

Online: wagga.nsw.gov.au/ourtransport

Email: council@wagga.nsw.gov.au

Mail: PO Box 20, Wagga Wagga NSW 2650