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For 4 weeks in October and November we hosted a consultation on Bang the Table for Jodi Mckay MP, a NSW Cabinet Minister, to test perceptions that the community would not support the removal of a rail spur from the centre of Newcastle. Click the title to have a look. Those of you who know Newcastle will also know that this issue has been around for a long long time with a well organised ‘Save our Rail’ group fending off numerous attempts by the business community, Lord Mayor and others to pull the rail line back to a less central terminus to allow the city to connect to the foreshore. The debate raged on our site breaking records for visitors and comments. We had 7,462 visits from 3,770 unique visitors who collectively left 2,806 comments. Many contributions to the discussion were both well thought out and lengthy. People shared their travel needs, discussed family history with the railway and shared their visions for the future of the city. The survey on the site probably provides the best snapshot of opinions. It was responded to by 542 people 72% of whom favored moving the rail spur from the current location. From the article below we note that the reputable Hunter Valley Research Foundation carried out a random telephone survey of 500 respondents on the same issue. The result was only 30% choosing the status quo. Almost identical to our result. It is a rare opportunity to have the results of an open and voluntary forum verified by a more traditional survey method. The closeness of the two results is a powerful demonstration that internet users are increasingly representative of the population at large.
An independent survey of Newcastle residents has found more than 60 per cent would support the removal of the inner-city rail line if it would be replaced by a fast bus service. Retail giant GPT commissioned the Hunter Valley Research Foundation (HVRF) survey, which involved a telephone questionnaire put to more than 500 residents. GPT’s $650 million retail project in the inner-city is dependent on the rail line being cut at Wickham. HVRF economist Robin McDonald says although a significant minority, 30 per cent wanted to keep the line, most supported its removal if it meant revitalising the CBD. “Certainly people’s comments were to the effect that the area was awful, ugly and decrepit and an eyesore,” he said. “While they don’t really like the thought of infrastructure being removed, if the choice was between removing it or not removing it and having the CBD not developed, then that was a choice they really didn’t like.”
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