Sydney has been ranked second in Australia for sustainability and effectiveness in the city’s transport system. 

Sydney was ranked 51st out of 100 cities around the world in the 2017 Sustainable Cities Mobility Index report, behind Brisbane which was ranked 48th.

Other Australian cities also made the list, with Canberra at 53rd, Melbourne at 55th and Perth at 87th. 

Globally, Hong Kong was ranked first, followed by Zurich, Paris, Seoul, Prague, and Vienna. 
“Sydney is truly a global city in many ways but it is still chasing truly integrated and sustainable transport,” Arcadis executive Stephen Taylor said. 

“There are many great initiatives underway that will help improve Sydney’s ranking, such as the light rail and metro. However, as these are yet to be completed they are not reflected in the ranking,” he added. 

The report also added that Sydney’s performance outside the top 50 can be attributed to “cultural preference for single-family dwellings and a legacy of urban sprawl, coupled with Sydney’s ranking as the second least affordable city for housing globally”. 

There are high concentration of professionals travelling into the CBD already. However, the above factors also attribute to the high proportion of residents undertaking long daily commutes, further pressuring the congested suburban road and rail networks.  

The NSW government recently released two long-term strategies aimed at transforming Sydney by 2056, with the central goal for two-thirds of Sydneysiders to be able to commute between their jobs and home within 30 minutes. 

Lois Lee / info@hanhodaily.com