In an interview with Paul Bevan (1233 Afternoons presenter), Ms McKay explained that her bus loop proposal would follow a "circuitous" route to "places of high visitation" around the larger Newcastle area (including the John Hunter, Westfield Kotara, Charlestown Square, etc).
At the same time, she continued to assert that her proposal was recommended in the AECOM Transport Management and Accessibility Plan (TMAP).
In fact, the TMAP proposal (as I explained yesterday) was for a much more restricted route that was solely confined to the Newcastle CBD (see map in yesterday's posting).
Here is an extract from the TMAP report that identifies the various locations that the proposed loop service would visit:
The proposed loop service provides access between the land uses within Newcastle City Centre, including:
- Wickham Railway Station and surrounds, such as future residential and commercial buildings;
- Civic Railway Station and surrounds, such as the existing TAFE, cinemas and hotel accommodation and future university and legal precinct;
- Honeysuckle Precinct north of the railway line, including the existing and proposed commercial office buildings;
- Newcastle Railway Station and Coach Terminal precinct, including hotels and restaurants;
- Civic and Cultural Precinct surrounding Newcastle Town Hall, such as the Civic Theatre; and
- Schools, parks and other activity areas within the City Centre.
Nothing there about anything outside the Newcastle CBD.
When pressed by Mr Bevan on the origin of her loop proposal, Ms McKay insisted that "it was in the TMAP...".
It isn't.
The TMAP report doesn't consider anything like the loop proposed by Ms McKay, and - contrary to her media release statement - makes no such recommendation.
When Mr Bevan suggested that the proposal was not costed, hadn't been tested, wasn't based on any apparent existing plan, and didn't seem to have the support of the government of which Ms McKay was a member, Ms McKay accused him of being "a bit negative".
Ms McKay told Mr Bevan that she had been "pushing for this since about June".
What exactly has she been pushing for?
The TMAP was released in October 2010. If the proposal that Ms McKay has been pushing for is the one recommended in the TMAP report (as she confusingly asserts), how did she know about this four months before?
If it's not the TMAP proposal (as the content of the proposal itself indicates), where did it come from, and why didn't she tell the community that she is supposed to be representing about it back then?
Hear the interview with Paul Bevan here.
Read the 1233 news story here.
