Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Transport
Transport is one of the city's biggest political hot potatoes. Most travellers will find it
suprisingly easy and reasonably pleasant to get around using public transport, but for
those residents not living in suburbs served by train lines, the daily commute involves
traffic snarls or expensive tolls... or both.
In 2012 the state government trumpeted its purchase of the company running the mono-
rail and light rail as a 'once-in-a-generation opportunity' to fix the transport issues in the
city centre. By 2014 they're promising that the Opal Card, a new smart ticketing system
(similar to London's Oyster Card) will be fully operational on all trains, ferries, buses and
trams.
And the monorail? While it must have seemed like the way of the future when it
opened in 1988, its pointless loop through Darling Harbour and Haymarket is soon to be a
thing of the past (probably by the time you're reading this, in fact). It was always more of
a tourist attraction than a serious transport option anyway, and the city's transport boffins
hope that the space saved by its removal can be used to extend the tram lines.
Gang Turf Wars
Sydneysiders have long taken a prurient interest in the power struggles between criminal
families that have plagued Melbourne for decades. Of course, Sydney's not without form
in this regard: bitter clashes between 'razor gangs' terrorised Surry Hills and Kings Cross
in the 1930s. Yet the current wave of violence between rival bikie gangs has rattled the
city.
Between August 2011 and April 2012 there were 60 gun attacks linked to turf disputes,
and while the violence appears to have been mainly criminal-on-criminal, there's a very
real fear that innocent bystanders may get caught in the fray. Travellers shouldn't be too
concerned - unless you're frequenting gang hangouts in the outer suburbs, you're unlikely
to be at risk.
