The pandemic might've reduced the competitiveness of public transport, but it hasn’t altered the main game appreciably – that still remains civilising cars
Public transport is likely to take a post-lockdown hit from the pandemic and will have to adapt; but it will remain critical to the functioning of Australia's cities
It's a popular idea, but the revenue foregone from abolishing fares in a city like Melbourne would have a bigger impact if it were instead spent on making public transport more competitive with driving
Federal Labor's promise to contribute $10 billion toward the cost of the $50 billion Melbourne suburban rail loop shows it's prepared to see a generation or two of infrastructure funding pissed away if it offers a political advantage
Even with bullish projections for public transport growth, cars look set to remain the dominant mode in Australian cities. Much closer attention must be given to tackling motoring directly
It'll probably make sense one day, but the promised $50 billion Melbourne suburban rail loop is the wrong project at this time. There are much higher priorities. The Andrews government should be helped to back away from this careless and cynical commitment
The start of the year is an opportune time to take a big-picture view of the state of passenger transport in Australia’s major urban areas. The key challenge for policy-makers is to "tame" the car
The Rail Futures Institute’s Melbourne Rail Plan is the sort of comprehensive metropolitan plan that the Government's failed to release, preferring instead to pull out ad-hoc projects just before the next election
There's very little reason to think the Andrews government's promised suburban loop rail line will catalyse jobs growth in suburban centres on a scale that even remotely justifies the cost
Progressives and public transport advocates should be calling the Andrews government out on its nakedly political suburban rail "loop" ploy, not falling for it. There's a much better alternative that could deliver real benefits
