Greens WA leader Brad Pettitt has called for improved bike access on trains travelling through regional Western Australia.
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As previously reported, TransWA currently charges travellers $20 to bring a bike or eRideable on board services to destinations including Bunbury and Kalgoorlie.
Currently, there are no secure bike shelters at any regional Western Australian railway stations. When questioned by Youth Jam, the Public Transport Authority (PTA) said it was revisiting the viability of installing facilities at selected stations.
“With the new Australind now in service and an increase in patronage since the introduction of half-priced fares, the viability of providing these facilities at selected regional stations will be revisited,” a PTA spokesperson said.
Speaking to Youth Jam’s Newsflash show on August 19th, Pettitt told listeners the fee was “unnecessary”.
“I find (the charge) unnecessary. People don’t pay to take luggage and this is merely another bit of luggage,” he said.
Mr Pettitt argued for more bike-friendly public transport.
“We should be having a public transport service, especially a regional one, that accommodates all modes of travel.
“They’re willing to provide car parks, people come to train stations and catch buses. It’s also important that they provide either bike shelters or get people taking their bikes on buses and trains and that should be for free,” he added.
The suggestion of a dedicated bike carriage was raised by several Youth Jam listeners, an idea Pettitt endorsed, while pushing for it to extend to metropolitan services too.
