Sydney transport network rated second best in Australia behind Brisbane

[ozbob]

Telegraph --> Sydney transport network rated second best in Australia behind Brisbane

SYDNEY'S transport network has been rated the second best in the country but has lost the top spot to Brisbane.

A new report being released today from design and consultancy firm Arcadis has ranked Sydney's transport network 51st globally — with the report citing the city's urban sprawl as a key reason why it had missed out on the top spot.

The report said the growing distance between the concentration of jobs in the CBD and Sydney's geographical residential centres was hindering the transport system.

It said work by the Greater Sydney Commission and State Department of Infrastructure to develop business hubs in Western Sydney would help alleviate these problems- but it was still in the early stages.

Arcades Sydney City Executive Stephen Taylor described the city's transport system as a work in progress.

"Sydney is truly a global city in many ways but it is still chasing truly integrated and sustainable transport," he said.

"There are many great initiatives underway that will help improve Sydney's ranking, such as the light rail and metro, however, as these are yet to be completed they are not reflected in the ranking."

Meanwhile Melbourne's poor ranking was blamed on the city's car-dependent culture.

Brisbane was deemed the best transport system in Australia.

Despite the impact of the "Rail Fail'' crisis in disrupting the region's train services, and concern about growing road gridlock, Brisbane outranked Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, and Perth.

The Sustainable Cities Mobility Index, compiled by global design and consultancy firm Arcadis, puts Brisbane at number 48 overall in an assessment of 100 of the world's growing centres.

The report said Brisbane could learn from Amsterdam where the average commute had been cut to less than half an hour by prioritising cycling, creating capacity on trains and trams, and using tunnels for road and rail projects.

The index ranks each city on 23 measurements across social, environmental and economic indicators.

A lack of underground metro systems and dependence on private vehicles kept Australian cities around the middle of the rankings or lower, the report said.

Globally Hong Kong was rated as having the best transport system with the report noting its

well-connected metro network and a high share of trips taken by public transport.

The report said its "well-organised, modern and efficiently funded" metro system encouraged mobility, "creating economic opportunity and enriching the lives of citizens, businesses and tourists".

It was followed by Zurich and Paris, with European cities dominating the top 20.

The report's finding come after one of the world's top city planners declared politicians must ditch the bickering if Sydney is to become one of the greatest cities of our time.

Sir David Higgins — a man who has run Gatwick Airport, London's Olympic development authority and planned Europe's biggest high speed rail — warned that the vision for the city must be bipartisan and above politics.

Delivering The Daily Telegraph's 2017 Bradfield Oration last week, Sir David declared Sydney needed a "strategy, a vision, a consensus" in a call to action to 200 top decision makers including Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Greater Sydney Commission chief Lucy Turnbull.

"I challenge you to be bold and take the vision Bradfield had and take it forward," he told the crowd.

Sir David declared even big investments such as the city's $8.3 billion metro rail were not enough on their own to make Sydney stand out and infrastructure must be a "means to an end" — not an end in itself.

Premier Berejiklian said her government's infrastructure vision was unmatched.

"Not since John Bradfield's vision for the Harbour Bridge and Sydney's underground railways in 1915 has a Government had such a bold infrastructure program for this city," she said. "This Government is improving people's lives and making communities more liveable, no matter where they are in NSW."

Sir David, the Australian charged with delivering Britain's $110 billion high speed rail network, told Sydney's business and political elite they needed to capture the spirit and vision of Harbour Bridge engineer John Bradfield in building for the future.

"John Bradfield showed the way. He was clear both what he wanted to build, but also why — and then showed the perseverance needed to deliver it," Sir David said.

The Daily Telegraph's Project Sydney Bradfield Campaign has championed big visions including a Garden Island cruise terminal, better transport links for the west and a full "aerotropolis" around the new Western Sydney Airport.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/924678260713066496

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

30th October 2017

Brisbane was deemed the best transport system in Australia - no it is not April Fools Day

Good Morning,

I thought it might have been April 1st today for a fleeting moment.

Today's amusement piece is: Telegraph --> Sydney transport network rated second best in Australia behind Brisbane

" Brisbane was deemed the best transport system in Australia.

Despite the impact of the "Rail Fail'' crisis in disrupting the region's train services, and concern about growing road gridlock, Brisbane outranked Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, and Perth.

The Sustainable Cities Mobility Index, compiled by global design and consultancy firm Arcadis, puts Brisbane at number 48 overall in an assessment of 100 of the world's growing centres. "

This is nonsense. Having used all the major capitals transport systems over the last few years Brisbane is a very mediocre last with respect to the other cities.  PT in Brisbane is characterised by poor service frequency, a disconnected unreliable network, relatively high fares (despite the new fare structure) and falling patronage.

Thanks for the laugh!

Best wishes,
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/924681500116770816

[ozbob]

Herald Sun --> Melbourne ranks poorly on transport efficiency amid call for congestion tax

MELBOURNE has ranked poorly on its transport efficiency in a global survey of cities.

The city's car-dependent culture has been blamed for the lacklustre showing amid a call for an inner city congestion tax on vehicles to be considered.

Separate census data reveal that car use is rising in the outer suburbs while the share of people riding bikes to work in inner areas has barely increased over the last five years.

Melbourne was ranked number 55 out of 100 urban centres surveyed for the Arcadis Sustainable Cities Mobility Index 2017 to be released today (MOND).

Hong Kong was rated number one, followed by Zurich, Paris, Seoul, Prague, Vienna and London, said the index compiled by global design consultancy Arcadis.

Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra performed better than Melbourne, despite the city boasting one of the world's biggest tram systems and winning the Economist Intelligence Unit's world's most liveable city title for seven years in a row.

Melbourne was pipped at the post by Toronto and was also outperformed by Brazil's Sao Paulo and Chinese cities Chengdu and Guangzhou.

The Arcadis report said that Melbourne's rapid population growth was affecting its mobility but the Metro Tunnel project would help free up the train network.

Arcadis city executive Melbourne Pru Sanderson said that the city was still paying for decades of urban sprawl driven by car use.

"Low density urban form makes it very hard for governments to have an economically viable public transport system to serve such a low density city," she said.

Ms Sanderson, a former CEO of state development agency VicUrban, said that policies like Plan Melbourne were addressing the density issue but the problem would take decades to turn around.

"We need to get smart buses better on the agenda, we need to get better bicycle routes better on the agenda and safer pedestrian routes in certain neighbourhoods too," she said.

Ms Sanderson said that a car congestion tax for the inner city should be considered, but only as part of a suite of congestion-busting measures.

A Herald Sun analysis of 2016 census data on how people get to work has revealed that car use is rising in the outer suburbs.

In the City of Casey, which includes Narre Warren, Berwick and Cranbourne, 79.2 per cent of workers went to work by car in 2016, up from 76.5 per cent in 2011, while the corresponding figures for the City of Frankston were 71.9 per and 69.2 per cent.

Frankston South resident Rob Liebelt, project manager for a glass and aluminium firm, said he had to travel all over Melbourne for his job and the car was his only option.

"Unless I caught a train to the city and used Uber everywhere, but that would just be ridiculous," he said.

Mr Liebelt said he was frustrated by congestion on freeways, especially the Monash.

In 2016, 8.6 per cent of workers in the Yarra Council area, which includes Collingwood and Fitzroy, rode bikes to their jobs, up from 8.5 per cent in 2011.

The share of Stonnington workers who took trains increased from 13.7 per cent to 16.6 per cent over the five-year period, while 18 per cent of City of Melbourne workers took the tram last year, up from 14 per cent in 2011.

Meanwhile, Victorian Transport Association CEO Peter Anderson will tell a conference today (MOND) that the state government should prioritise the safe and seamless movement of trucks when considering route options for the proposed North East Link project.

[ozbob]

Sources suggested to me over the weekend that this report was around.  It had Brisbane ranked better than all the other Oz capitals.  I said that is simply not true.  I am surprised there is a not an article at the Couriermail online (might be one in the hard copy). Perhaps the Editors decided that is was not ' kosher ', or perhaps gives a leg up incorrectly to the present administration.  Perth is a long way ahead of us I am afraid.  A connected frequent network something missing in Brisbane. 

The whole ranking cities thing is more than flawed I think.  Melbourne has come up as the worlds ' most liveable city ' seven years in a row.

Guess it all depends hey?  LOL

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/924683052994850816

[ozbob]

Now up at CM

Couriermail --> Study finds Brisbane has Australia's best transport system

BRISBANE has the best transport system in Australia, according to a surprising new report.

Despite the impact of the "Rail Fail'' crisis in disrupting the region's train services, and concern about growing road gridlock, the Queensland capital has outranked Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, and Perth.

The Sustainable Cities Mobility Index, compiled by global design and consultancy firm Arcadis, puts Brisbane at number 48 overall in an assessment of 100 of the world's growing centres.

"These results are very strong for Brisbane,'' Dr Louisa Carter, Arcadis city executive for southeast Queensland, said.

"Brisbane is the lifestyle capital of Australia and we can now also boast we are also the sustainable transport capital."

Dr Carter said the result made the city more competitive in attracting economic investment and knowledge workers.

The report, which looks at public transport, active travel such as cycling and road transport, rated Brisbane well on maintaining its quality of life.

And Dr Carter said we were on the threshold of "a one in a 100 year investment cycle" with projects including Cross River Rail, the Brisbane Metro network and European Train Control System to improve rail efficiency. "These are very exciting times," she said.

The whole southeast region would benefit from transport spending associated with the Commonwealth Games, and Dr Carter said a future Olympic Games bid could also help if there was public support for it.

"Brisbane and the region has been known for big moments of transformation,'' she said, referring to events such as the 1982 Commonwealth Games and 1988 World Expo.

It is not all good news, however.

Despite having a long-term plan, the report says Brisbane, like its southern counterparts, has suffered from chronic under-investment in public transport and still has work to do to fund it and make it affordable and sustainable.

The report said Brisbane could learn from Amsterdam where the average commute had been cut to less than half an hour by prioritising cycling, creating capacity on trains and trams, and using tunnels for road and rail projects.

The index, which ranks each city on 23 measurements across social, environmental and economic indicators, said the use of public transport, cycling and walking was low by international standards.

Dr Carter said that might reflect commuter's experiences but the best way to improve public transport was to use it more and attract more investment in it.

A lack of underground metro systems and dependence on private vehicles kept Australian cities around the middle of the rankings or lower, the report said.

Hong Kong was number one worldwide. The report said its "well-organised, modern and efficiently funded" metro system encouraged mobility, "creating economic opportunity and enriching the lives of citizens, businesses and tourists".

It was followed by Zurich and Paris, with European cities dominating the top 20.

[ozbob]

^ my blog comment at CM ... 

This ranking is absurd.  I have travelled on transport systems in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, and Adelaide over the last few years.  Brisbane is an absolute mess relative to those states.  I thought it might have been the 1st April when I first read this yarn.  There is hope but no guarantee with the political uncertainty now with the election of ETCS, CRR or even the Brisbane Metro all being built.


My ranking based on actual user experience is:


1. Perth


2. Sydney


3. Melbourne


4. Adelaide

-

-

-

205. Brisbane

[#Metro]

Whoever wrote this dismal report should be strapped to a seat and forced to ride routes 354, 334 and 414.

Off the busways, the bus network is a shocker. The rail network is a shocker all round. Better than Melbourne which has

trams every 10 minutes or better, trains every 10 minutes on some lines, Perth every 15, Sydney.

"Could learn from Amsterdam" why is that - is it because the firm's HQ is located there??



I notice that Canberra scored higher than Toronto, a system that carries close to 2.76 million passengers per day.

That's the ENTIRE population of Brisbane and some.

The website allows you to see the component indexes, and on "utilisation of the PT system" Brisbane comes at the bottom #84.

[ozbob]

Only 3 or so comments on the CM blog on the article at present.  But already the sentiment is constant ... lol

" These people are insane if they think we have a good transportation system. ... "

I cannot believe a ' consultancy ' could come up with something so off the rails, so to speak.  Shocker!!

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Report claims Brisbane has best public transport in the country

On a global scale, the report ranked Brisbane 48th, Sydney 51st, Canberra 53rd, Melbourne 55th and Perth 87th.

"Brisbane was the top-ranked Australian city, benefiting from a long-term plan with major infrastructure projects, including the Brisbane Metro, the European Train Control System and Cross River Rail," the report said.

"However, despite ranking top in Australia, Brisbane still has work to do to strengthen its infrastructure and to remain attractive, livable, and mobile.

"Not only does Brisbane need to find better ways to fund public transport, it must also ensure any existing and new public transport developments are affordable and sustainable.

"By delivering its major public transport infrastructure in sync with other key sustainable and smart investments, Brisbane is poised to lead the region in city development and the knowledge economy."

On the downside, the report noted Brisbane could follow Amsterdam's lead and embrace a "smart city" approach by placing more focus on improving bicycle infrastructure. Amsterdam had more bicycles than people and 58 per cent of residents cycled to their destinations every day.

However, Rail Back On Track spokesman Robert Dow said he was "quite frankly amazed" by the findings, labelling the report as "nonsense".

Having used and researched public transport networks across the country, Mr Dow described Brisbane as "disconnected" with "a poor frequency in outer suburbs".

Mr Dow said there had been a 3 to 4 per cent drop in patronage on the train network during the past year and believed that Brisbane should follow Perth's example.

"Perth has trains running every 15 mins off-peak on all lines and feeder buses connecting bus system with the rail network," he said.

"The Perth rail network is also less than half the size of the south-east Queensland network, but carries 30 million passengers more per year.

"Brisbane lacks the same connections and feeder buses as Perth. We have great potential, but it's not very encouraging at the moment."

Mr Dow believed the European Train Control System and Cross River Rail projects were under threat given the upcoming election, but said Brisbane Metro was safe and expressed his support for the project.

Mr Dow said he would "undoubtedly" rank Perth as having the top public transport network in Australia, with Sydney second, Melbourne third, Adelaide fourth and Brisbane fifth.

[BrizCommuter]

WTF!
Remind me not to hire Arcadis as consultants as they quite obviously don't have a clue.

[ozbob]

WTF!
Remind me not to hire Arcadis as consultants as they quite obviously don't have a clue.

Very worthy of a blog post BrizCommuter?

[SteelPan]