Should public transport fares be abolished?
Tallinn’s fare-free rapid public transport network There was lots of public commentary last week on the ill-advised idea currently under consideration by Victoria’s Legislative Council of expanding...
View ArticleIs Paris the right model for the Sydney of 2050?
Paris Metro overlaid on Sydney train network. Green circle is 15 km radius (source: Tipping Point) Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, architect Phillip Vivian reckons Sydneysiders should look to the...
View ArticleIs labelling the outer suburbs as ‘job deserts’ helpful?
THE % SHARE OF JOBS IN ONE KILOMETRE WIDE CIRCULAR BANDS RADIATING FROM MELBOURNE TOWN HALL First there were ‘food deserts’, then ‘transit deserts’, now ABC TV News informs us Australian cities also...
View ArticleIs ending Melbourne Bike Share the right decision?
Bright, shiny Bixis ready to go in 2010 The Age reports Melbourne Bike Share (MBS) now costs $2 million per year and will terminate in December 2019 after nearly ten years operation. Each bike is only...
View ArticleWill the Western Sydney Aerotropolis really deliver on jobs?
Land uses proposed in stage 1, Western Sydney Aerotropolis The Greater Sydney Region Plan pitches the Aerotropolis – essentially a fashionable name for a cluster of airport-related businesses – as...
View ArticleIs High Speed Rail the economic game-changer we need now?
A long wait until the benefits flow – East Coast HSR reference case economic cash flows per year (undiscounted, $2012, $billion). Source: HSR Study, Phase 2...
View ArticleHow will the pandemic impact public transport?
The coronavirus pandemic is upsetting the standard view on many things, not least cities. Economist John Quiggin has gone from optimism to pessimism about the role of mass public transport: Challenge:...
View ArticleIs this the hour of the two-wheeler?
Bicycle Boulevard, Netherlands I noted last time there could be an extended post-lockdown period when public transport has insufficient capacity to cope with demand (see How will the pandemic impact...
View ArticleWhat should we do to civilise driving?
It seems likely that traffic on the roads of Australia’s cities will balloon in coming months, boosted by workers avoiding using public transport. The key impacts will probably be: Higher levels of...
View ArticleIs public transport the future of our cities?
Prior to the pandemic, it was pretty much taken for granted by most of those interested in cities that the long-term future of Australia’s capitals would be public transport. But now the great...
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