Transport for NSW released the On-Street Transit White Paper this week. If you have no idea what this is, then I’d recommend reading the 1-page short version here. In summary, the paper outlines a new strategic direction for Sydney’s buses and how they can be used to support the city’s future growth. It proposes to do this by establishing a series of ‘rapid bus routes’ between Sydney’s key centres. The ‘2036 rapid bus lines graphic’ from the Future Transport 2056 strategy has been recycled in this publication (see below).
2036 proposed rapid bus lines (Transport for NSW, 2022)
Rapid Buses…
The key advantage of buses over rail-based modes is that buses can go anywhere on the existing road network. Infrastructure costs are much lower than rail transit (i.e. underground metro lines), and implementation periods are much quicker. However, at risk of stating the obvious, buses usually suffer from reliability issues because they share the road network with other vehicles.
The White Paper uses route 410 (Hurstville to Macquarie Park via Burwood) as an example of a bus route which suffers reliability issue due to variable traffic conditions. And so the report recommends that rapid routes should be implemented with bus priority measures in place. This would include bus lanes and priority signals at intersections to ensure reliability and therefore provide competition with private car travel.
The inspiration for this post comes from pages 28 and 30 of the White Paper, which begin to consider the corridors which might be suitable for an initial tranche of rapid bus routes. These include new rapid buses for the Western Sydney Airport, a route between Liverpool and Burwood via Bankstown, and 2 routes between the City and Parramatta (one via Parramatta Rd, the other via Victoria Rd) – see the graphic below. Page 30 even includes a ‘case study’ on the various stages of implementation for a future rapid bus route between the City and Parramatta via Victoria Rd.
Potential tranche of Rapid Bus Routes for investigation (Transport for NSW, 2023)
From ideas to implementation…
Well this all sounds great, doesn’t it! But where do we start? How do we get from here to seeing buses on the road? I think a logical place to look is the Northern Beaches B-Line, a.k.a. B1, which is currently Sydney’s only proper rapid bus route. There are some other isolated examples of good limited-stops bus services, but here’s what I think makes the B-Line successful:
Frequent all-day service every 8-10mins in both directions
Dedicated fleet with passenger information screens & announcements
Good bus stop infrastructure (big shelters, next arrival screen)
Convenient interchange with heavy rail network at Wynyard
Operates via the most direct route with only limited stops at key locations
B1 at Wynyard (Transport NSW Blog, 2020)
How can we adapt these features for a Victoria Road rapid bus route? I’m going to call it B5 for the rest of this post. The first 3 points above are all directly applicable to B5 and can be implemented in the project delivery stage. However, the last 2 points (choosing stops and interchanges) require a bit more thought.
Choosing stops and interchanges…
First, we need to figure out the places the B5 route should serve. Obviously, the 2 ends should be in Parramatta CBD and Sydney CBD, and run via Victoria Rd – so this gives us only a few possible route variations. And a vital component of this service would be rail interchanges at Parramatta, Yallamundi (formerly known as Rydalmere), West Ryde, White Bay (future Metro West Line) and the Sydney CBD. Making the interchanges themselves as convenient as possible will be key to leveraging the connectivity and patronage of the wider rail network. I think Town Hall is a logical choice for the CBD terminus, given that it follows the current route of most Victoria Rd buses.
So if we settle on Parramatta to Town Hall via Yallamundi, West Ryde & White Bay, where else should the B5 route make a stop? Apart from the 5 bus-to-rail interchanges, I think stops should only be provided at major activity precincts and some carefully chosen local centres along the route. This helps minimise journey times on the full length of the route. Remember, the implementation of a rapid route would not eliminate the existing local services that make all stops on Victoria Rd. Nonetheless, I’ve chosen some additional intermediate stops (including a diversion off Victoria Rd). See below for the full list of stops and my explanations for choosing each. I’ve also included some notes on any major infrastructure upgrades that would be required to support access and interchange.
Parramatta
The B5 service could use an existing stop within the Parramatta Interchange. There is good existing connectivity with the heavy rail station and other bus services. I considered adding another stop on Smith Street near the intersection with George Street to interchange with the future Parramatta metro station, but unless that line is extended beyond Westmead it really won’t be of much use as a way of reaching the B5 service. While a stop in this location would be handy for local commutes from Victoria Rd into Parramatta CBD, much of this demand will be met by the Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2 and the existing local bus services on Victoria Rd.
All Saints
I think this is a sensible location for a stop on the B5 route since it would service the area of Parramatta lying north of the river.
Yallamundi
The existing Western Sydney University bus stops on Victoria Rd (just to the west of the bridge over the light rail line) are in a good location to support a direct interchange with the Yallamundi light rail stop. Some public domain upgrades would be ideal to support pedestrian priority along the interchange walking paths. For example, a raised pedestrian crossing over the mouth of Anderson Ave at Victoria Rd and a widened footpath behind the northern side of the bridge approach would greatly increase the safety and convenience of interchanging here. See my mock-up of these improvements below.
My proposed footpath upgrades for a Yallamundi stop on route B5
Ermington
I’ve decided to place a stop here since it’s about 2.5km from the previous stop (Yallamundi - formerly Rydalmere), and there is a small set of shops that serve the neighbourhood. This is a precinct surrounded by detached homes, and could be rezoned for medium density housing if supported by route B5.
Melrose Park
There is some huge residential development going on at this location, and it would be silly not to include a stop here. The ideal location would be between Kissing Point Rd and Marsden Rd / Wharf Rd.
West Ryde
This is a major employment centre and shopping precinct supported by the railway. A quick and easy interchange between bus and heavy rail is critical to making the B5 service convenient for passengers transferring from the Northern Line. To further complicate the situation, West Ryde is also a common terminus for local bus routes. Ideally, the B5 service would also interchange easily with these services without diverting off Victoria Rd. However, in this case I think it’s a necessary diversion. Using the existing interchange rather than building a brand new one will save a lot of money and will drop off transferring passengers right next to the platforms at the railway station.
How can we minimise the time wasted diverting off Victoria Rd? I think this is where we need to incorporate some bus-only lanes and signal priority measures as suggested by the White Paper. A bus-only right turn lane would be required on Victoria Rd westbound to allow buses to turn into West Pde northbound. And to ensure that buses departing West Ryde interchange are not stuck in a queue of traffic, a bus-only lane would be needed from the interchange heading southbound along West Pde leading back to Victoria Rd. If signal priority were effectively implemented, this would permit the B5 service to quickly divert off Victoria Rd without waiting extended periods to re-enter at West Pde. But the road layout and markings are an absolute mess in this part of Victoria Rd, so perhaps these changes could form part of a wider upgrade and simplification of this stretch of road.
My proposed bus priority measures at West Ryde to support route B5
Top Ryde
This is the only stop which warrants a full diversion away from Victoria Rd. There is a major shopping centre at this location and there is also interchange available with buses travelling on the A3 corridor and Blaxland Rd. However, the current set of stops are quite far apart from each other and do not present a particularly legible and convenient interchange between existing routes. This is probably the hardest stop to nail down because the B5 route could divert via many different possible streets and the number of possible interchanges is quite high. Deciding the location of a stop for the B5 service would also need to consider another potential future rapid bus route along the A3 corridor, which would ideally run through the underpass beneath Victoria Rd, and therefore skip the existing main northbound stop at Top Ryde Shops (in Church St just before Blaxland Rd). So I’m going to cop out of making a decision here and just vaguely state that there should be a stop on the B5 route at Top Ryde. In any case, there should at least be some bus lanes and bus priority signals to reduce the amount of time buses spend waiting in Blaxland Rd while the A3 traffic gets a green signal for 2 minutes.
Gladesville
I think the best location is the existing main stop in the heart of the Gladesville Shops. It has an existing commuter base to and from the City and would benefit from the new B5 route.
Drummoyne
Very similar situation to the Gladesville. Just upgrade the existing main stop at Lyons Road.
Rozelle
Again, just upgrade the existing main stop at Darling Street.
White Bay
This one is the most difficult of the lot. In an ideal world, the B5 stop and ‘The Bays’ metro station would be adjacent. However, the station box is being dug some distance away from Victoria Rd – about 300m from the closest bus stop (right at the end of Victoria Rd). And diverting off Victoria Rd so close to the City is simply not a realistic option for the B5. Unfortunately, this would create a long walking interchange. However, it would still be beneficial to have a stop at this location due to the expected regeneration of the White Bay area, which should generate sufficient passenger traffic in its own right. The long walking interchange can be left as an option for the journeys that require it.
The distance between The Bays metro station and Victoria Rd is about 300m
Town Hall
For eastbound B5 services, the existing bus stop on Park St between George and Pitt St is a suitable terminus. This stop has easy interchange with trains and light rail at Town Hall, plus the new Gadigal metro station. For the eastbound (starting) stop, Stand K on Park St is adequate since it is the current outbound Victoria Rd stop at Town Hall.
Conclusion…
The On-Street Transit White Paper proposed Victoria Rd as a candidate for a new rapid bus route. With 3 proper heavy rail interchanges, the light rail at Yallamundi and Town Hall, and the walking interchange at White Bay, this proposed B5 service could easily become the busiest bus route in Sydney. I think this would be a strong improvement over the current bus services in the area. But this post has gotten a bit long already – I didn’t even cover things like potential depot locations, layover and turnaround, etc. Of course, this was all just a bit of fun – so please do write a comment if you think I should have included different stops or suggested things differently!
Route B5 proposed route and stops
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