Article: Commuters flock to public transport

[ozbob]

From the Melbourne Age click here!

Commuters flock to public transport

Commuters flock to public transport
Jason Dowling
June 5, 2009

THERE has been a massive increase in the use of public transport in Melbourne with almost 60 million more trips in the 12 months to March than in the previous year.

The State Government says swelling patronage is the result of a cultural shift to public transport, but population increase is also a likely factor. The Bureau of Statistics estimates the city's population is growing by almost 1500 people a week.

Patronage is booming across all forms of public transport in Melbourne. There were 24 million more tram journeys in the 12 months to March compared with the previous year, 21 million more train journeys and 13 million more bus trips.

Overall, the growth rate in public transport trips more than doubled to 13.2 per cent from the previous year's growth of 6.3 per cent. Growth in tram use was 15.2 per cent, bus use 14.6 per cent and trains 10.9 per cent.

Melbourne's trains are expected to experience four consecutive years of growth of about 10 per cent. Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky told The Age there was a significant cultural shift under way.

"We thought that when petrol prices spiked, people would shift (to public transport) and then they would go back (to cars). They are not going back," she said.

"We are seeing that cultural shift that a lot of European cities have seen. I think we are at the forefront of all the states."

The public transport growth rate is well above the 6 to 7 per cent forecast in the Government's December transport plan.

Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen described the patronage growth figures as amazing. He said it was encouraging that more people were using public transport despite the fall in petrol prices in the past 12 months.

"Ultimately people will switch out of their cars where the service is good enough ? where the door-to-door travel time is reasonably competitive with driving," he said.

"But if people face long waits between connections, as they do now in many areas outside the train and tram networks, they'll keep driving. A lot of areas still only have a bus every 30 to 60 minutes."

Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder condemned the "daily sardine squeeze", saying overcrowding was lasting longer on many train lines. "Cramped passengers are paying more, getting less and going slower."

The RACV's Brian Negus said growth in public transport use was a continuing trend that was good news. He said that people were no longer presented with their car as their only transport option.