Jo Haylen, Member for Summer Hill has moved a motion in the NSW Parliament, calling on the Government to fulfil their promise to build a multi-story 180-space commuter car park at Ashfield Train Station.

Both Labor and the Coalition promised to build the new car park in the last election on the site of the existing car park. The State Budget will be released on Tuesday 23 June.

“When the Premier delivers the State Budget on June 23, Ashfield residents will want to see this promise met,” Haylen said.

“We need to make it easier for people to get out of their cars and on to public transport.”

“Commuters know that the existing car park in Ashfield is full well before 7am. They’re avoiding catching the train because they can’t be certain of finding a parking spot. A new car park will make traveling on the train more convenient and more appealing,” Haylen said.

“The more people using public transport, the less cars we have on the road. That means less emissions and less congestion.”

“We know key factors in getting people on public transport are creating good connections, reliable services and ease of access,” Haylen said.

“A commuter car park will also mean more customers for local businesses and would deliver a direct benefit to Ashfield’s economy.”

Lucille McKenna, Mayor of Ashfield, agrees: “Ashfield is a key transit hub. It has a fast train to the city and people want to get on the train here.

“People come from way out of the area and park in Ashfield and we welcome them, but we need somewhere for them to park. We want to get people onto transport and out of their cars. We need a commuter car park,” McKenna said.

“We also need for State Rail to either delegate the monitoring of the car park to Council or monitor it themselves and make sure that the car park is reserved for commuters.”

Haylen adds, “We see this Government ploughing money into toll-roads, but what the State really needs is investment in public transport. This project is a great starting point. They promised a commuter car park for Ashfield and Ashfield deserves to see that promise honoured.”