THE Bathurst-based spokesman for a lobby group pushing for improved transport links with western Sydney says the Central West can act as a "pressure relief valve" for the overcrowded state capital.
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And the group is hoping to get thousands of online endorsements to support its cause.
David ten Broeke is the spokesman for Western Link, described as a "consortium of business and community interests focusing on the benefits of an increased level of modern access over the Blue Mountains".
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Western Link would like to see the long-talked-about Bells Line Expressway become a reality, Mr ten Broeke said, but, failing that, is supporting the NSW Government's proposed duplication of the Great Western Highway from Katoomba to Lithgow.
The project, for which $2.5 billion has been committed so far, was announced in Bathurst in the lead-up to the 2019 state election.
Roads and Maritime Services has faced opposition from residents of Medlow Bath and Blackheath, who fear for the upgrade's effect on their villages.
Mr ten Broeke said the upgrade must go ahead one way or another in the interests of all of NSW west of the Mountains, providing improved "productivity, connectivity and affordability" to the Central West and western Sydney.
"Bringing the communities of these two regions closer will increase the economic capacity of the areas west of the Mountains as well as expediting opportunities for people in western Sydney," he said.
He said businesses on both sides of the Mountains would benefit from lower transport costs and access new markets - encompassing primary and manufacturing industry and tourism.
"The Central West can act as a pressure relief valve for Sydney's overcrowding issues and become an example of successful decentralisation," he said.
He said the region's "road and rail networks need to be brought into the modern era".
Western Link wants residents and community and business groups to support an online petition to the NSW Government.
Mr ten Broeke said it is hoped thousands of online endorsements will be achieved to bolster the campaign.
"It's in all of our interests if we pause to think about it," he said.
The petition, which calls for safe, swift and efficient road connections coupled with improved rail transport between the Central West and western Sydney, can be accessed at www.westernlink.org.au
