The Chair of Infrastructure Australia, Sir Rod Eddington, called for a “mature and dispassionate” discussion about road pricing on Friday. Good, I wholeheartedly agree. This should be the number one issue for discussion nationally in planning the future of our cities.
READ MORE12 Results
TRAFFIC CONGESTION
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 can we do with Hoddle St?
In Elliot Perlman’s Melbourne-based novel, Three dollars, Eddie thinks the only advice he could offer his daughter is the solution of differential equations and an insight into which trains go via the city loop and why. He imagines that on his deathbed and with his last breath he would say: “Abby, my darling daughter, remember this: [...]
READ MORE24 hours of LA traffic (animation)
This is a recently released animation of 24 hours of traffic in Los Angeles. It’s constructed from reports sent from the smartphones of Waze users. Waze is a “social mobile application providing free turn-by-turn navigation based on the live conditions on the road and driven by users”. It starts at 4pm but really goes beserk the [...]
READ MOREWill networking make public transport the mode of choice?
According to a report in The Age last month, new research published in the latest issue of Australian Planner shows that higher suburban densities are not a precondition for vastly better public transport. Reporter Andrew West says: City dwellers have been presented with a false choice – live in apartments and enjoy good public transport or [...]
READ MOREHow liveable are our major cities?
Adelaide is the most liveable capital city in Australia and Sydney is the least, according to a study released earlier this month by the Property Council of Australia. The Australian reports that Sydney might have the harbour, Opera House and Bondi, but most Sydneysiders live a long way from these attractions in less salubrious places [...]
READ MOREWhy is public transport patronage increasing?
As the accompanying chart shows, public transport patronage has grown sharply in some of Australia’s capitals this past decade but the rate of growth has generally slowed significantly over the last 18 months. We’re accustomed to thinking that growth in patronage is driven by higher petrol prices but the chart indicates the explanation is probably [...]
READ MOREHow bad is traffic congestion in Melbourne?
According to IBM, Melbourne has low congestion – it scored second lowest out of 20 world cities on IBM’s Commuter Pain Index
READ MOREWhy do inner city residents walk and tram to work?
There is a strong correlation between density and the use of more sustainable transport modes in the inner city, but density is not the key driver – proximity to the CBD, good public transport, traffic congestion and high socioeconomic status are more significant factors
READ MOREMore on rail link to airport
The Age is continuing its campaign for a new rail line to be built from the city centre to Melbourne Airport (I discussed this previously on March 2 – Possible rail link to Melbourne airport). There are also a couple of follow-up letters this morning supporting the idea of a rail link. In a story [...]
READ MORE
