Since every public transport user is also a pedestrian, the creation of a better quality environment for pedestrians has to be seen as a necessary adjunct to improving the public transport service.

Though public transport can never provide a complete door-to-door service, the PTUA advocates a standard of service which ensures that nobody in Melbourne is located more than a few minutes walk from a frequent, full-time public transport route. Passengers must then be able to walk in relative ease and safety if they are not to be deterred from using the service.

At present, too many users (and potential users) of public transport find barriers placed in their way which impair their access to public transport. Such barriers range from busy roads with inadequate crossing facilities and traffic signals unfavourable to pedestrians, to the sense of danger which hangs over lonely streets at night. Many of these barriers can be overcome, though often it calls for a change in attitudes prevailing among transport planners, which are neglectful of pedestrians and regard mobility as something which can be achieved only with the aid of an internal combustion engine.

Access to trams

The “safety zone” is a Melbourne peculiarity which has attracted bemused comment from overseas visitors. In no other major city are tram passengers herded into narrow enclosures, caught between cars, trucks and trams in the middle of city streets. The brainchild of traffic engineers seeking a way out of the conflict between tram travellers and traffic, these “safety zones” place the most obvious of barriers between the tram and the footpath, seen from the perspective of a public transport user.

An extension of the safety zone is the Superstop. This is larger, sheltered, raised to allow easier access to vehicles, especially low floor trams, and has seating and public telephones. While these are more convenient and comfortable for passengers, they restrict access to trams by providing only entrances at each end, leading to pedestrian congestion at peak times.

Kerb access stops can be used at some locations. The platform is essentially an extension of the kerb, with cars funnelled into the same lane as trams. These bring many advantages to passengers, though bicycle user groups have raised concerns about cyclists.

In the absence of safety zones, Superstops or kerb access stops, traffic must stop to allow the movement of people on and off trams. While much more convenient for the public transport user as pedestrian, this arrangement has its own perils. With the onus on the motorist to avoid passing a stationary tram, negligence on his or her part poses the single greatest danger to users of public transport, and better enforcement and education of motorists of these laws is vital.

A partial solution to this is the ‘easy access’ stop. This has no barrier between the kerb and the tram, but the road pavement rises like a tabletop speed hump, giving a strong visual and physical signal to drivers that they must give way to passengers. These stops help minimise the danger posed by relying on cars giving way to tram passengers.

The PTUA sees the conflict between tram passengers, cars and trucks as part of the problem of road danger in general. We favour the elimination of “safety zones” together with traffic calming initiatives (such as lower speed limits, footpath widening, and tree planting) on all tram corridors to place public transport users and motorists on a more equal footing. On wide streets, safety zones can be upgraded to Superstops, with some minor redesign to better facilitate pedestrian movement between the stop and the kerb. On narrower streets, passengers should access trams from the kerb, with measures such as easy access stops and rigorous enforcement of traffic laws requiring cars to stop.

Where possible, streets with trams should be more fully “pedestrianised”, as with the Bourke Street Mall and Swanston Street, to create a safe and pleasant environment for pedestrians, public transport users and cyclists.

Some inner suburban tramways which could particularly benefit from traffic calming initiatives include Chapel Street, Sydney Road, Glenferrie Road, Brunswick Street and High Street Northcote.

For over a century, tram stops have been located at intersections for maximum ease of access for those walking from nearby streets and interchanging between services. Stops should not be moved away from intersections, and nor should stops be rationalised in the name of speeding up trams. Tram speeds should be improved through better use of traffic priority.

Traffic calming and pedestrianisation

There is a clear demand from communities across Victoria for quieter, safer residential streets and pedestrianised activity centres, suggesting that the time for traffic calming – or slowing down traffic in the interests of pedestrians, cyclists and public transport – has come. Improved facilities for pedestrians will bring about an increase in public transport patronage, as people find it easier to walk to the nearest bus or tram stop than to hunt for space in a busy car park.

Traffic calming has been limited so far to residential streets, while main roads have received the opposite treatment to facilitate greater traffic flows. This has been done to encourage motorists to keep to arterial roads rather than using minor residential streets, but it has resulted in a worsening of conditions on the main roads, particularly for residents, pedestrians and cyclists. To achieve the full benefits of traffic calming, it should be applied on an area-wide basis, including main roads as well as the adjoining side streets. Some inner-city shopping streets have now started to receive this treatment, with demonstrable benefits for pedestrians and shoppers.

Pedestrian safety

Personal safety of pedestrians is a major barrier to greater public transport use. The initiatives suggested here, together with better land-use planning to encourage more pedestrians onto the streets, should help reduce this source of danger as well.

Reviewed: September 2011