METRO//NEWS - 21 August 2008

Melbourne, Sydney housing becomes less affordable (Sydney Morning Herald) 
First home buyer housing affordability hit a new low at the end of June in Melbourne and sank to a five-year low in Sydney. Perth's rating improved.


State begins slow squeeze on emitters (Sydney Morning Herald) 
THE state's top 232 greenhouse polluters, ranging from Bluescope Steel to the Sydney Opera House, will be forced to cut their emissions from this year under new energy-efficiency laws.


Orbital is the way to go for diverse transport needs (Sydney Morning Herald) 
An NRMA report last year found that travel on motorways is about 75 per cent quicker than on alternative routes, and uses up to 40 per cent less fuel.


NSW Metro–sceptics will be proven wrong (Sydney Morning Herald) 
There's $100 million set aside for Sydney's North West Metro project this financial year, but the local community will be sceptical of it until people actually see bulldozers on the ground, transport minister John Watkins says.

Fast train link not off rails yet (Penrith Press) 
PREMIER Morris Iemma insists his government has not closed the door on the vital fast train link needed by Penrith.

North-west metro advisers appointed (ABC News) 
The New South Wales Government has appointed Macquarie Bank and Ernst and Young as financial and commercial advisers for Sydney's north-west metro rail line.

Ring! Ring! City of Sydney makes a call for bicycle users (City of Sydney) 
The City of Sydney is installing 500 new bicycle rings across the local government area to encourage people to ride to work, to the shops or to their favourite cafe.

Morris Iemma worries $140bn building frenzy will clog Sydney (Daily Telegraph) 
PREMIER Morris Iemma has ordered an urgent audit of the city's $140 billion worth of planned infrastructure projects over fears an unprecedented building boom could create construction chaos across Sydney from next year.

It's all in the family (Liverpool City Champion) 
FATHER and daughter candidates Harry and Alexandra Stathis say an increase in large businesses in Liverpool CBD is the ideal way of developing the area.

A vision for our future (Parramatta Sun) 
By the year 2025, current Parramatta residents, plus those in another 21,000 dwellings should be living in the "primary regional city of Sydney providing a focus for innovative business environments, jobs and lifestyle and work opportunities, attracting shopping, health, education, business and cultural facilities,'' according to the council's Twenty25 vision for the future.

Small rise in car pooling would slash emissions (Sydney Morning Herald) 
A MINOR increase in car pooling would have a similar effect on carbon emissions as doubling public transport patronage in Australia's capital cities, a transport expert says.

Railway bombshell (Hills News)
A TRAIN marshalling yard four football fields long and three wide will be built for the metro line on Old Windsor Road, Kellyville between Burns Road and Balmoral Road. It will run day and night with no weekend shutdown.