The cars that ate buses

What a delightful headline that is - from the Sydney Morning Herald Opinion editorial today, which starts with "Sydney's road designers think that the city's north west has too much public transport, and they want to cut it back".
The editorial relates to the plan to demolish the Epping bus ramp, and explains that this is not just a local issue. "It throws into question the idea that privately owned transport infrastructure can benefit society in general."
The editorial explains very clearly how this ramp is a key part of the commuter traffic flow allowing buses to by-pass the M2 car park during busy periods. Remember, the HillsM2 website says 17,000 passengers a day use buses on the M2, so that's a lot of people to upset and force back into their cars.
The final paragraph of the editorial is pretty devastating: "In theory, public private partnerships ought to be able to be devised which align the interest of the operator with the public interest. By upgrading the M2 in ways which specifically downgrade all transport modes except private cars, the government, the Roads and Traffic Authority, and the motorway operators have shown how practice too often falls far short of the theory."
Peter Colacino is providing me with his (Transurban's) response to this and related matters, and I will post here his response when I receive it.