The long view of travel in Australian cities shows the rapid decline of public transport and the remarkable ascendancy of cars. The latter still overwhelmingly dominates urban travel
READ MORE11 Results
BITRE
Should new freeways be tolled?
The CEO of South Australia’s Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure, Mr Rod Hook, is reported to have said the only way the state will get any money from the Federal Government for new freeways is if it imposes a toll on users. Unlike Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, Adelaide doesn’t have any tolled roads (neither [...]
READ MORE
Why are we driving fewer kilometres?
There’s a mountain of evidence from many western countries showing passenger travel by car is approaching, or at, saturation. In some countries it has stopped growing and in others is declining. As the exhibit shows, per capita travel aggregated across Australia’s eight capital cities shows a slowing in the rate of growth from around 1990 [...]
READ MORE
Should cars be subsidised?
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that private cars are massively subsidised. Indeed, cars are an object lesson in the consequences of under-pricing. Because we don’t take account of the social costs of driving when we get behind the wheel, we drive too often, too far and in vehicles that are too large. Our cities sprawl, [...]
READ MOREWhat is the cost of commuting by car compared to public transport?
The exhibit shows that in terms of weekly household cash outlays, commuting by public transport is vastly cheaper than commuting by car, irrespective of where the commuter lives (see first three rows). Both fixed and variable costs are much higher for cars than for public transport. For example, outer suburban households where the workers drive [...]
READ MOREHow much time do Melburnians spend commuting?
On average, workers who live in the outer suburbs commute 2.5 times further to get to work one-way than their counterparts who live in the inner city. That’s in terms of distance – probably no surprises there. However what’s not always appreciated is the extra time they spend commuting isn’t that much more – only [...]
READ MOREAre we set to commute even further?
The Age says jobs in Melbourne are losing pace with sprawl – it cites a new study by BITRE which predicts “an increase in the average commuting distance” by 2026 and a rise in journeys to work involving a road distance of more than 30 kilometres. If a rigorous, hard-nosed body like the Bureau of [...]
READ MOREAre these curves moving for the same reasons?
Back in May I compared the historic level of passenger travel by car in Australia since 1970 against rail and bus, showing the significant flattening in car use from circa 2004-05 and the upturn in travel by public transport. This sort of long term perspective is useful for understanding the relative importance of the changes [...]
READ MOREDoes business oppose congestion charging?
I’m very disappointed with the line one of the State’s largest employer associations, VECCI, is taking on road congestion charging. This issue was raised in a report prepared by consultants Acil Tasman for the Competition Commission’s (VCEC) inquiry into a State-based reform agenda. Congestion imposes such a high cost on business – whether freight or personal [...]
READ MOREDo governments spend too much on roads?
The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) got a lot of press recently with its claim that “governments across Australia are spending at least four times more on building roads and bridges than on public transport infrastructure“. The claim is in a new ACF report, Australia’s public transport: investment for a clean transport future, which argues for [...]
READ MORE
