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Newsletters

October 2006 newsletter

October 2006 newsletterPlease join the PTUA to receive regular newsletters.

October 2006 edition articles:

  • State election looms: Parties challenged on transport
  • Making the links to joined-up government
  • Geelong bus petition reaches 1000 signatures
  • PTUA celebrates 30 years of standing up for passengers
  • How it all began
  • Tunnel freeway threatens inner north again
  • Transport focus: Northern suburbs
  • Transport focus: Melbourne’s East
  • Transport focus: Regional services
  • Transport focus: North eastern suburbs
  • Transport focus: Western suburbs
Newsletters

Government plan fails 15 minute test

Why mode share is stagnant and our roads are clogged

There’s nothing that discourages public transport usage more than the prospect of long waits for services. Anybody with a choice does simply not put up with waiting, nor do they want to check timetables to minimise that waiting. They drive instead.

Studies such as the government’s unreleased Train Plan have shown repeatedly that until services run at 15 minute or better frequencies (for most trips), large numbers of choice passengers will remain in their cars.

Yet our figures have found few of Melbourne routes run at or better than every 15 minutes:

Peak Weekday off-peak Weekend* Evening*
Trains 72.7% 50.0% 18.2% 13.6%
Trams 96.3% 96.3% 96.3% 11.1%
Buses 11.7% 6.0% 1.3% 0.3%
All routes 22.1% 15.8% 9.7% 2.0%

*Weekend figures are for Saturday. Sundays slightly less than Saturdays. Evening figures for Monday to Saturday. Sundays slightly less.
Includes combinations of routes, eg trains between city and Caulfield

The maps below show which suburbs are lucky enough to get frequent services. Even during peak hour, a number of railway stations, including locations as close to the CBD as Brunswick and Yarraville, have services worse than every 15 minutes, underscoring why parallel motorways are so congested. Most suburbs beyond the tram system also miss out, causing most commuters to choose to drive.

Melbourne 15 min or better services, weekday peak hours
15 min or better services, weekday peak hours. Continue reading Government plan fails 15 minute test →

Newsletters

Government’s transport plan flops

20% by 2020 target dumped

The government’s long-awaited transport plan “Meeting Our Transport Challenges” was released on 17th of May.

But far from being the all-encompassing solution for Melbourne (and Victoria’s) problems with transport that they had promoted it as being, the government has missed the mark.

While there will be a number of improvements for people lucky enough to live on a train, tram or Smartbus route, many of these changes will be a long time coming, and for everyone else services will continue to be inadequate. Continue reading Government’s transport plan flops →

Newsletters

The real “balance” between freeways and public transport

When faced with accusations that it is spending too much on roads and not enough on public transport, it is common for the government to play the “balance” card. They argue that we need both; that there has to be a balance of spending.

It’s only when you look closer at where the new money is going that the real picture becomes starkly apparent. We studied metropolitan Melbourne’s freeway expansion projects of the past ten years, against the tram and train expansion projects for the same period. Continue reading The real “balance” between freeways and public transport →