Roundup: Plan to build thousands of new homes triggers concern over Sydney's transport

The transport department in the Australian state of New South Wales on Wednesday refused to support a draft plan to create thousands of new homes in Sydney's northern beaches.

The New South Wales (NSW) Planning Department announced the draft plan to build 3, 400 new homes in the suburb of Ingleside late last year.

However, the move has raised concern about whether Sydney's infrastructure can keep up with the state's rising population and demand for housing.

Although the southeastern state is only the fifth largest geographically but is the most populous in Australia.

The draft plan from the state government claimed the development would be coordinated with upgrades to Mona Vale Road, the main road serving the area, and increase bus services.

But the transport department said there has been no forward budget allocated to these upgrades and welcoming up to 9,000 new residents to the city's north would only worsen an existing problem.

"Adding extra traffic to this road before the upgrade works are completed would lead to an unacceptable level of service," said Clare Gardiner-Barnes, deputy secretary for freight, strategy and planning at transport for NSW.

The dispute reflects a broad issue of integration between transport and urban planning, The University of Sydney transport and logistics management expert Dr. Geoffrey Clifton told Xinhua on Wednesday.

"It seems that there has been a mismatch in expectations as to what level of transport is possible," Clifton said.

"Public transport is no longer seen as an afterthought, it's just as important as access to electricity, hospitals and other essentials."

The transport department also rejected the proposal of bus services departing every five minutes in peak hour to serve the planned expansion of Sydney's north.

Clifton is, however, sure that a solution can be reached.

"Until the infrastructure is suitable, perhaps development elsewhere will need to be prioritized."

"There's also the option of smaller buses, which have been quite successful in countries like Singapore," Clifton said.

"In the past, residents would move into a suburb and the question of transport would only be considered later, so it's great that the conversation is happening now." Enditem