Good Afternoon Fellow Residents, Commuters and Petition Supporters
Following on from my Last Update I have done an Edit to the Petition to include the target of extending the South West Rail Link from Leppington to the Airport.
As I stated previously Providing Additional Car Parking at Edmondson Park and Leppington Stations is a Band Aid Solution to fixing the Problem – it simply fixes the Stuff out of the NSW Liberel Government from 2015.
To provide some future planning the South West Rail Line needs to be EXTENDED to the Airport NOW not 2056 as proposed by the NSW State Liberal Government. And a Metro line extension needs to go from MacArthur to the Airport and then from the Airport to St Mary’s.
IF the South West Rail Line is extended from Leppington to the Airport it would mean that at least 3 new stations with Car Parking would need to be Built which would help take the pressure off Ed Park and Leppington Now and hopefully a little into the Future. It also provides other major Benefits.
So Be Prepared there will be a LOT more signing over the next few months to do to get a Paper Petition to Parliament in 2020 with 10,000 signatures so that this matter MUST be debated in Parliament.
I am looking for 100 Volunteers to each get 100 Signatures on a Paper Petition.
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Letter leads to Article
This is a Letter sent to the Minister, the papers and others by Sean Bartolo
The situation has been made much worse since some two weeks ago when a number of no stopping and 2 hour street signs were put up along Rickard Road.
People who catch the train at Leppington either are travelling to Parramatta for work (45 min train trip) or to the Sydney CBD for work (55 mins to 65 mins) depending at what stop they get off.
To then expect people to walk some 10 to 20 minutes to their car and back is very unreasonable when you consider that the majority of people who have moved to the new estates along Camden Valley Way are young families. The majority of childcare providers in the area open from 7am to 6pm.
By 7am the parking is full. These families are running the gauntlet every day to get to and from work in time to get their kids.
As the MP for Camden, you have to live and die for the people of your electorate Peter. You have to remember what your electorate symbolises. Country living. Living in the open air. Camden is unique for its country feel. When you visit Leppington Station you see along the track walls images of Camden’s heritage. The agricultural past comes through loud and clear when you visit Leppington Train Station.
Yes we know the landscape is dramatically changing. Houses are popping up much quicker than they would on a Monopoly board. However, the country will always be synonymous with country living. And country living will always be synonymous with family time.
And one thing that families are losing in abundance because of the disgraceful situation that is Leppington Train Station car park is family time.
Both governments, Labour and Liberal have failed the south west. Make no mistake about that. We are selling a vision for the Western Sydney Aerotropolis that it is a new beginning for Western Sydney.
What really angers me is that the state government knew long before we did that a new 24 hour airport was coming to Western Sydney. They also knew a lot of new estates were going to pop up in the south west of Sydney bringing in more than 1,000,000 people over a 15 year period.
Yet the M7 was built with only two lanes heading each way. That is simply appalling when you think of how many trucks and buses and shuttle buses will be on the roads in the south west region when the airport is up and running and this new freight hub is in place.
People in South Western Sydney who want to work at the airport in south western Sydney will have no train link to the airport in south western Sydney.
Leppington train station is catering for a massive region, not just 5 or 6 suburbs like in the inner west.
Picton, Camden, Narellan, Walacia, Luddenham, Cobbity, Oran Park, Catherine Fields, Bringelly, Rossmore, Leppington, Austral, Kemps Creek, Cecil Hills, Cecil Park, West Hoxton, Middleton Grange, Carnes Hills, Horningsea Park, Denham Court, Denham Park, Emerald Hills, Gledswood Hills, Gregory Hills are a majority of the suburbs where people are commuting from to catch the train from Leppington.
850 spots catering for this massive region.
It is an absolute and utter disgrace.
100 people get booked a week. That is some $25,000 in the coffers of the state government. In other words it is robbery. We have not learnt from the past.
Many convicts came to these shores because they or their families were starving. They hunted on crown lands out of necessity, not because they were born criminals. People are parking illegally not because they want to, but because they have a massive mortgage and mouths to feed, and because the state government has failed completely in providing the basics in the form of sufficient train station car parking your taxpayers and voters are being punished.
200 - 300 years ago when Dick Turpin was robbing individuals in the country sides of England, the highwayman was feared. The highwayman in the 21st century is now known as a policeman. Hiding behind trees, hiding behind bushes robbing people of hard earned money because the government has failed its people.
Government should not be about only caring about pleasing voters in marginal seats.
Government should be about pleasing all voters, whether Liberal or Labour, Independent or Green.
The ‘Lucky Country’ has long gone. We are not lucky when our MP’s do not listen anymore. We are not lucky when our Premier and Transport Minister can’t find the time to travel to the south west of Sydney because they treat it like the 19th century wild west of America. The last time I looked I didn’t see Sitting Bull, Cochise, Geronimo or Crazy Horse riding around on what is left of the empty spaces of this region of Sydney.
When I read English History, I was fascinated by the Barons who forced King John to sign the Magna Carta. I was fascinated by Simon de Montfort and his plan for a parliament so the voices of the people could be heard.
It always fascinates me how our parliamentarians plan to meet and talk to people during the week when we are all working and providing for our families. When they know no one will turn up.
The problem with our politicians today is they care more about publicity then they do about the people they represent. If they truly cared about the people they would come out to this region and ‘talk’ to the people. They would sit down and ‘listen’ to the people. And they would ‘take action’.
With no additional train line in sight to the new airport until 2056 (an utter disgrace in itself) from Leppington, then what is needed is a mega carpark some 5000 to 10000 spots in size. An additional 350 spots is a slap in the face with a glove of chainmail into the faces of the people of this region.
You need to plan ahead like Mr Bradfield did when he designed the harbour bridge when the Ford Model T was still driving around on our roads. Imagine if he designed the harbour bridge with two lanes on either side with no train tracks on either side like our educated town planners would do today. What a mess Sydney would truly be in.
I thank Michael Andjelkovic for including you all so that I could respond to you all.
I haven’t had a chance to respond until today to him even though I have received numerous messages as I have two young children. One aged 7 and the other aged 2 and a half years. At 47 years of age their enthusiasm and energy consumes me like kryptonite consumes superman.
I spoke to you once Peter. The people are suffering.
As much as I love the Beatles, we don’t have eight days a week. Time is precious for the people of this region. Yet it is time we are losing with our families because of the appalling state of the car parking crisis at Leppington Train Station.
Regards
Sean Bartolo
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THE ARTICLE THAT WAS PRINTED in the Liverpool Leader 4th December 2019 by Cindy Ngo
LONG-SUFFERING Commuters say an extra 350 parking spaces promised for Leppington train station is nowhere near enough to match the area’s Growth, with the Station now bursting at the seams.
The parking Boost was promised by the State Government earlier this year at a cost of $9 million with the project slated for completion by late 2021.
Resident Sean Bartolo slammed the government’s decision, saying 350 spaces was not enough for Leppington and the Surrounding growth suburbs it services.
With the future western Sydney International Airport set to bring an influx of people into the region, the government needed to provide more infrastructure now, he said.
“Leppington is looking after a region, not like five or six suburbs. They only promised 350 spots and that is just bonkers”, Mr Bartolo said.
“They need at least 5000 spots and that’s no exaggeration because when you see how many thousands of houses are going up…. I’ve just lost faith in the government. They’re not listening, they couldn’t care less.”
A Transport for NSW Spokeswoman said the agency was committed to keeping the community updated as planning progresses.
“Transport for NSW is also working hard to investigate the delivery of a significant number of additional spaces to support the Growth in the area, “ the spokeswoman said.
When Mr Bartolo first moved to Leppington in 2016, finding a park at the station in the morning peak was a dream. These days, it’s a struggle by 7am.
The parking situation was particularly dire for families who rely on Childcare services that open at 7am, he said. For Parents who then drive to the station to commute to work the parking is a daily headache.
He believes that two multi storey carparks similar to that at Holsworthy station would help take the pressure off during rush.
Community Campaigner Michael Andjelkovic, wjo last year created a petition for more Parking which has more than 8,000 signatures, says he will begin another campaign - this time with a target of 10,000 signatures to force a discussion in Parliament.
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Question with Notice - Clr Hagarty - Edmondson Park Commuter Car Park - LCC November and December 2019 Meeting
Please address the following:
1. Has a Development Application for the construction of a multi-storey car park at Edmondson Park been lodged with Council by the State Government?
The State government have not lodged a development application for a multi-storey car park with Council. The capital cost of such a multi storey carpark would likely exceed $30 million and therefore would be classified as State Significant Development. The Department of Planning Infrastructure and Environment would be the assessment authority for any such proposal.
Alternatively if the capital cost is less than this threshold, the State government, as a public authority, could and would likely prepare a Review of Environmental Factors (REF) to assess and determine the proposal under Part 5 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.
A search of DPIE’s website confirms that there is not a multi storey car park development at Edmondson Park currently under assessment.
2. Are there any other delays or impediments Council could cause to the timely completion of this project?
No, for the reasons mentioned above. Any referrals to Council in relation to the above approval processes would be responded to quickly.
There have been a number of developments and announcements about the Car parking Crisis in the last Couple of Days – I will post a detailed update by the end of this week regarding them.
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Thank you for your ongoing Support
Please Share the Petition Link on Social Media www.tinyurl.com/MoreParkingNow
Yours Sincerely
Michael Andjelkovic JP
Independent Community Campaigner for Liverpool
Independent Candidate for Liverpool