Our public transport shortcomings

How do we make public transport work more reliably in Australian cities? Is it even possible? And is it what Aussies really want?

According to a new report, we most definitely do, but our cities seem to be not particularly good at making that happen. Why is that the case and is there anything we can do to change that? 

I grew up within sight of a railway line in suburban Melbourne and there’s one thing that sticks with me. From my earliest days I can recall Mum saying, “They’ve been promising to extend the electrified line for years. It’ll never happen.”

The suburb I grew up in was St Albans, in Melbourne’s west. We lived a 10-minute walk beyond St Albans station, which was then the end of the electrified suburban line. Mum and Dad had built a new house there in 1954, believing the promise of extended electrification. Before long, electric trains would be passing by our street, they were told. By 1975, the year I turned 10, there was no sign of that public transport promise being fulfilled.

To be fair, the extension did happen eventually, in 2002, 48 years after they built our house. But it took a lot of convincing of successive state governments. Even then, once the electric service was extended, the frequency of trains wasn’t great for a rapidly increasing suburban population.

Similar stories have been told across Australia’s capitals. All the while, new roads and freeways seem to have sprouted unabated over those same decades.

Public transport versus private cars

Last week, the Analysis and Policy Observatory (APO) released a new report looking at public transport’s past, present and future. The report, compiled by the Climate Council of Australia, tells of decades of governments prioritising the use of private cars.

The effect of this has been telling. “Transport is Australia’s biggest contributor to climate pollution after energy,” the report states. This makes transport “an important focus of our efforts to slash climate pollution this decade”. 

The new report also outlines a plan for reducing our dependency on private cars, and to “invest public money better”.

The key pillar of the plan is putting “shared and active transport at the centre of transport delivery from now on”. This, it says, will move us away from our current status, which is: “Transport is Australia’s biggest contributor to climate pollution after energy.”

Among the report’s key findings are:

• Australia has more registered cars than drivers, and relatively limited use of shared and active transport.
• People living in high-growth areas in middle and outer suburbs are significantly underserved by public transport.
• Investment in public transport has not kept pace with growing demand.

That last point is emphasised in the report’s observation that “most people who live more than 10km away from the centres of our largest cities generally lack convenient, frequent and reliable access to public transport services”.

The observation is more or less a confirmation of the one made by my dear old mum nearly 50 years ago. 

The pillars of a public transport solution

So, how do we go about changing the mindset around public transport and save the planet while doing so?

By following the three key recommendations below, says the APO:

• Embed the increased uptake of shared and active transport in decarbonisation planning.
• Deliver a Shared Transport Service Standard.
• Give shared and active transport priority on roads.

Like me, you may be wondering exactly what ‘active transport’ is. The APO defines it as “any physical mode of personal travel such as walking, using a wheelchair and bike-riding”. It defines ‘shared transport’ as follows: “Any transport option that has shared usage. This can include public transport (buses, trains, trams, ferries), rideshare (Uber, Didi), and other options like on-demand e-bikes and e-scooters.”

Even if reducing climate pollution is not a personal priority for you, implementing the APO’s recommendations will likely produce benefits. However, measuring such benefits will likely be a medium- to long-term affair. And sadly, governments notoriously focus on the short term, prioritising re-election.

Let’s hope at least some of Australia’s administrations put short-term ambition aside and focus on delivering long-term benefits for all.

Are you a public transport user? Do you think Australia’s governments need to invest more in this area? Let us know via the comments section below.

Also read: Stealthy ways climate change is affecting your health

Health disclaimer: This article contains general information about health issues and is not advice. For health advice, consult your medical practitioner.