Along with health and housing, public transport is shaping up as a key election issue, with Regional Development Australia (RDA) Illawarra saying the system needs an overhaul and compares poorly with the Newcastle region.

This follows last month’s Tale of Two Steel Cities report by architect Ben Wollen, comparing Newcastle’s revitalised centre with Wollongong’s CBD, which, he wrote, “leaves a lot to be desired”.

Our region’s public transport service rates only 0.29 access points (bus/train/ferry stops) per 1000 residents – seven times fewer than the Newcastle/Macquarie region, according to RDA Illawarra.

RDA Illawarra CEO Debra Murphy said, “That’s a huge difference that I don’t think really should be acceptable to us.”

The region’s peak advisory body is calling on political parties to prioritise buses and trains and enable the 30-minute commute.

“With just $10 million in funding from the NSW Government we can deliver more public transport services to the Illawarra region,” Debra said.

“Because of outdated route planning and poor interconnectivity of rail, bus and community transport, more than 88% of commuter trips are completed in private vehicles.

“There’s a lot of congestion on the road as well. And that’s just getting worse.”

The commute from Shellharbour to Wollongong and the drive through the northern suburbs are prime examples, Debra said.

Thirroul frequently finds itself bumper to bumper, with local residents jokingly referring to the “Lawrence Hargrave Carpark”. Last month, Helensburgh parents worried about safety took to Change.org to call for a direct bus to Bulli High School. Petition starter Danielle Beazley also cited the long train and bus commute: “In the afternoon it takes 1 hour and 20 minutes from when the bell rings at Bulli until my son walks in the door.”

Debra said public transport is a great enabler of economic activity. “Imagine if we had a good public transport system, particularly for those people that are having cost-of-living pressures … they could get rid of one of their cars, it could save quite a lot of money.”

More trains and buses would also take cars off the road and help the environment, she said.

RDA Illawarra has four priorities in the lead-up to the election:

• Delivering critical infrastructure - Picton Road duplication ($650m) and South-West Illawarra Rail Link ($30m)

• Development of the port of Port Kembla – Port Precinct Master Plan ($25m)

• Improving public transport for a growing population – 30-minute commute ($10m)

• Fulfilling housing demand – 500 additional social houses over five years