Strathfield Railway Station Pedestrian Underpass
STRATHFIELD RAILWAY STATION PEDESTRIAN UNDERPASS
Mr J. H. MURRAY (Drummoyne) [5.33]: I draw the attention of the House to a problem which has been experienced by my constituent, Mrs MacMorran of Concord, and by others in my electorate as a consequence of the closure of the pedestrian tunnel underneath Strathfield railway station. The Minister would be aware that because of the lack of police presence and general security problems the tunnel had become a dark, graffiti sprayed underpass, with the general public fearing for their lives every time they used it. At last the Government has realised that something must be done and has closed the tunnel for three months to enable Burwood Council to carry out remedial work funded by the Department of Transport.
Unfortunately, the tunnel's closure means that residents wishing to move from one side of Strathfield to the other must obtain a 20¢ platform ticket to move through the station concourse. Why should the residents of my electorate be forced to pay a toll to access their shopping centre, when major stations such as Wynyard, Town Hall and Central do not charge people using these stations as a thoroughfare? Bus passengers - mainly schoolchildren and the aged - who use the 458, 415 and 480 services, are now being forced to undertake a 15-minute walk around the station and so risk the possibility of missing their bus connections if they wish to avoid the pedestrian toll. It is obvious that a similar layout to Wynyard or Town Hall could be adopted, with the installation of a temporary passageway through the centre of the concourse to facilitate residents wishing to pass through the station. Alternatively, free tickets could be issued for a period of three months for regular users.
I find it totally unacceptable that State Rail Authority officials can say in all honesty that they are concerned about fare evaders when they provide so few ticket collectors at most Sydney rail stations. In recent years, when Metro 10 bus tickets were issued, station staff agreed that it was acceptable to walk through the station if one produced the bus pass. It is appalling that in this modern day Strathfield station still operates under nineteenth century conditions. I call on the Minister to investigate this matter even though it may seem trivial to some, because only 20¢ or 40¢ is being charged to use the station as a public thoroughfare. Those charges could be the thin end of the wedge. We know what the Government has done in turning motorways into tollways. I call on the Minister for Transport, and Minister for Roads to investigate this matter and to provide free tickets for local residents wishing to use the Strathfield concourse when moving from one side of the station to the other during this three-month period.
Mr PHILLIPS (Miranda - Minister for Health) [5.37]: It is interesting that the honourable member for Drummoyne should raise a Strathfield matter. I should have liked to have heard a note of congratulation to the Government for putting up the funds to fix that tunnel at Strathfield - a tunnel I know well because of my past residency in suburbs not far from Strathfield. But he has come into this House grandstanding. There must not be many serious issues in his electorate. He asks the Minister to solve a problem that would be fixed by the SRA and local people responsible for fixing such problems. He should not waste the time of this House on issues that can be fixed by local authorities. In view of the incompetence of the honourable member for Drummoyne, I will raise the issue not with the Minister but with the Minister's office to see if something can be done, so that the member can be spoon-fed a reply.