In even better news, it appears that the decision makers have realised that getting Sydney to work every morning and home every night is proving to be rather a challenge. Sydney traffic and public transport is like a pair of sulky teenagers; reluctant to get up and moving in the mornings, and going at a snail’s pace once they’re actually in motion. In the evening they look for every excuse to avoid going home; taking the most illogical routes possible, and regularly finding new and innovative locations to crash, breakdown or just experience delays.

If people live closer to their work, and there are local good quality roads and reliable public transport, then the burden on the roads and tracks that ferry millions of Sydneysiders into the traditional city employment centres will be reduced. As such, the State Plan has set a target to increase the percentage of the Sydney population living within a 30 minute public transport trip of a city or major centre.

The State Plan identifies existing residents of the North West and South West of Sydney as most likely to live more than 30 minutes away from a city or major centre. According to City of Cities, these are the same two areas that will contain 70% of new greenfield dwellings — or 135,000 new dwellings by 2031. According to March 2007’s Employment Lands for Sydney Action Plan, “increasing investment and employment opportunities to match residential and labour force growth in Western Sydney is a high priority.” In order to increase the amount of good quality, well paying jobs close to good quality, well priced land, there are recommendations to introduce a Norwest-style Business Park to the South West, and provide industry land right along the M7, the road corridor that connects Western Sydney.