Public transport has been let down by our reluctance to pay for it

[ozbob]

The Conversation --> Public transport has been let down by our reluctance to pay for it

Interesting opinion piece.  It is all very well to increase fares, but if service levels are not there just more grief.   Too dear and people choose other modes of transport eg. cars.  Exactly what is happening in SEQ.  MTR is not always a good example in the sense they are giant 199 bus route in effect!

The free after x journeys is nonsensical .. a point we continue to make.  It bleeds fare box ...

[Simon Lovell]

To anyone who doesn't like the POV, it is in line with comments made by Prof Graham Currie of Monash and Alan Davies (The Urbanist) of Crikey.  I think one other who escapes me right now.

[Simon Lovell]

Fuel prices, I think you have something there.  There's also parking costs.

[newbris]

The free after x journeys is nonsensical .. a point we continue to make.  It bleeds fare box ...

...I note that some of the editors comments focused around our low density housing and the impact this has on PT. Well, this is what most of us like. This is why many immigrants come here. And if you want to live in a concrete block, go for it, but don't pick on the rest of us who desire or live this way. Yes as the cities grow things have to and will change, but New York, HK, Singapore style concrete towers with our kids growing up in shoe boxes, for most of us, no thankyou.
...

We could have a better balance. When we see articles saying Australia now builds the biggest new build homes on average in the entire world it does seem we have room to move on this issue without risk of all our "kids growing up in shoe boxes"...

[Old Northern Road]

I note that some of the editors comments focused around our low density housing and the impact this has on PT. Well, this is what most of us like. This is why many immigrants come here. And if you want to live in a concrete block, go for it, but don't pick on the rest of us who desire or live this way. Yes as the cities grow things have to and will change, but New York, HK, Singapore style concrete towers with our kids growing up in shoe boxes, for most of us, no thankyou.

I think you'll find that amongst younger people this is no longer the case. Young people value time more than anything else and the idea of spending 3 or 4 hours a day commuting to work isn't very appealing to them.

Last time I checked Brisbane was around 80% detached housing so it's pretty unlikely that it is going to turn into Hong Kong anytime soon.