Paul Mees

Planning public transport networks in the post-petroleum era

Abstract Oil depletion scenarios suggest that public transport powered largely by electricity, together with cycling and walking, will be the mainstays of future urban mobility. This paper argues that there is great scope, in a time-scale of years rather than decades, for transport planners to increase the number and types of trips for which public transport is a convenient option. Our argument begins with a snapshot of Melbourne during the last period of intense and sustained constraints on oil supply and an overview of the performance of various transport modes in the three decades from 1976 to 2006. The decline of public transport since 1950 occurred at a faster rate than changes in density and can be reversed without the need for widespread re-creation of the urban form. The key to making these changes lies in the approach to public transport planning used in successful European and North American cities: service-based network planning. This model offers hope for greater public transport use in Australian cities, and is outlined in the central part of the article. We conclude with some comments on the forms of transport governance required to deliver ‘networked’ public transport services.

Travel to work in Australian cities: 1976-2011

This paper seeks to contribute to a reconsideration of Australian urban transport policy by presenting and analysing data on travel patterns in Australias seven capital cities (Canberra, plus the six state capitals) over the last 35 years. It uses data from the Australian census, which includes a question on the mode of transport used to travel to work since 1976. Travel modes are presented by city, including car drivers, train, tram, bus and ferry, and walking and cycling. A key finding was that after two decades of rapid decline, public transport usage rates commenced a revival in 1996. The revival began slowly, but the five years to 2011 saw the biggest increase in public transport mode share seen since 1976. Sydney and Perth were comparatively impressive in terms of public transport use, with Adelaide, Hobart and Canberra as the worst performers. In the past, policymakers who favoured roads could claim to be following public preferences expressed in mode share trends, but now public transport is gaining ground at the expense of the car. The paper argues for a reorientation of transport policy in Australian cities towards public transport.

Benchmarking the efficiency and effectiveness of public transport in New Zealand cities

This article describes a benchmarking exercise designed to identify directions for improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of public transport in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. International comparators were chosen for their similarities in urban form and demographics, and their differences in public transport performance. The aim was to focus attention on the impact of different practices in planning and delivering public transport services. The research shows that public transport in the comparator cities achieve higher trip-making rates than the New Zealand cities, but without making a proportionately large investment in the overall supply of public transport services. The difference appears to lie in the degree to which this supply of public transport services is organised and presented to users as a unified network. The benchmarking exercise has been successfully used to inform public transport planning processes in the New Zealand cities.

Congress papers from the Planning Institute of Australia 2011 National Congress

Abstract The following five papers were presented and peer reviewed for the PIA National Congress in Hobart in March 2011. These papers have been included because the editors feel theyare important and should be available to a broad audience. However please note that theydid not go through the academic peer review process for Australian Planner.