The public transport network rarely speaks for itself. The Department of Transport and (indirectly) operators are on the government payroll so aren't as free as those outside to publicly advocate what the network needs. With the Andrews government dogged by cost blowouts on its infrastructure projects and strikes hurting service delivery, we haven't heard much on its longer term plans for public transport services.
To fill the gap here's a Christmas wish list for Melbourne's public transport network. None of it is achieveable this Christmas, but most should be doable in four or five Christmases from now. Work on them needs to start now if the government is to have more immediate positive stories to tell about transport or the opposition wishes to seize the momentum on a portfolio that's weaker for the government than six or twelve months ago.
Even North American cities not known for their transit do better than us. The Europeans and Sydneysiders beat us hands down. Even Perth can claim superiority. I'm talking about service frequencies on our suburban train network. Even our busiest lines drop to every half hour at night and 40 to 60 minutes on Sunday mornings when substantial demand remains.
It didn't used to be like this; trains on most lines used to run every 20 minutes on Monday to Saturday nights until last service. Massive service cuts in 1978 ended that. Except for Sundays, the cuts have remained unreversed on most lines despite our city's population and train patronage doubling since.
A service upgrade would use the same fleet but work it harder. A staged program could enable gradual improvement until Metro and Geelong trains are never more than 20 minutes apart. Possibly starting with weeknight and weekend service until 9 or 10 pm, then extending to last service in later stages.
Two hours extra of 20 rather than 30 minute evening service on our Metro trains requires just two more return trips per day per line. And boosting Sunday mornings to every 20 minutes for two hours needs just two or three more return trips per week. Almost nothing in the whole scheme of things.
Trams just need attention to Sunday morning and evening services while weekends are the major priority for busy weekend bus routes such as 150, 279, 302/304, 508, 630, 703 (part), 733, 737, 767, 800, 900, 901 (part), 902 (part) and 903 (part).
The result would be a far more useful network with easier connections between services and flexibility for different trip types. Once done attention can then shift to rolling out 10 minute frequencies on the network's core.
Two hours extra of 20 rather than 30 minute evening service on our Metro trains requires just two more return trips per day per line. And boosting Sunday mornings to every 20 minutes for two hours needs just two or three more return trips per week. Almost nothing in the whole scheme of things.
Trams just need attention to Sunday morning and evening services while weekends are the major priority for busy weekend bus routes such as 150, 279, 302/304, 508, 630, 703 (part), 733, 737, 767, 800, 900, 901 (part), 902 (part) and 903 (part).
The result would be a far more useful network with easier connections between services and flexibility for different trip types. Once done attention can then shift to rolling out 10 minute frequencies on the network's core.
Melbourne's bus service provision is patchy with some routes having more service than they need and others having less than patronage would justify. Here's my list of 13 well-used bus routes that most need Sunday service. A great job creator that helps us get more from our existing blus fleet.
Melbourne is notoriously poor at this. You alight a bus at somewhere like Monash Uni or Chadstone with the intent of changing to another bus. But where do you go? More often than not you won't know. You may have to traipse all the entrance of the interchange to find maps or directional signage. And in the process potentially miss your bus. Railway stations, even new ones, often have next to no bus information. Simple maps and interchange guides at every station and bus bay would solve this and at minimal cost.
There's lots of talk about rail options to the airport. But there's stuff we can do now for the price of several buses that would greatly slash travel times from many western suburbs. Key is a direct bus from Melbourne Airport to Sunshine operating every 20 minutes or better 7 days per week over long hours. In conjunction with stopping Bendigo trains at Sunshine and upgrading frequencies of trains to Watergardens, Melton and Geelong this would greatly boost connectivity from regional and suburban areas to Melbourne Airport, the CBD, Footscray, Sunshine and other key destinations. A few million each year on these service upgrades would quickly deliver maybe half the benefit of airport rail at a tiny fraction of the cost.
It's the season for unwrapping things. And we should be permanently banning window cover advertisements on our trains, trams and buses. Then people will be able to see out to find their stops. There will also be better passive surveillance, improved exposure for businesses along the way and even fewer headaches. There's foregone advertising revenue but the passenger experience benefits will be worth it.
Melbourne's trams are close to the slowest in the world (although Sydney's new system offers stiff competition). Prioritising their movement where they share the road with cars would improve their usefulness and allow a faster, more reliable and more frequent service.
The more people can walk to a station the more patronage it will attract, other things being equal. Some stations only have entrances at one end of the platform, resulting in unnecessarily long walks. Opening up station platforms to be accessible from both ends can increase a station's pedshed and thus its potential catchment for a fraction of the cost of building extra stations.
Friday Useful Network items are packed with ideas to make buses more useful and easier to use. Proposals include more direct routes, timetable connectivity with trains, higher frequencies and less duplication of services.
There's many reasons why you'd want to do this. One of the key ones is to boost employment participation and improve peoples commutes, as discussed in this Jobseeker Inquiry submission.
100 to 200 new buses and 400 to 800 more driver jobs created would deliver transformed bus networks throughout Melbourne, benefiting catchments of millions with improved fringe coverage. Even one-tenth that number could deliver network and service upgrades to high priority areas. And, if Scrooge comes knocking, network reform can deliver some great improvements with no extra buses needed if wasteful service duplication is pruned. Abolishing reduced summer timetables on the few bus routes that still have them, fully standardising public holiday schedules and adding afternoon service to routes that finish midday Saturdays are further cheap upgrades.
There's many reasons why you'd want to do this. One of the key ones is to boost employment participation and improve peoples commutes, as discussed in this Jobseeker Inquiry submission.
100 to 200 new buses and 400 to 800 more driver jobs created would deliver transformed bus networks throughout Melbourne, benefiting catchments of millions with improved fringe coverage. Even one-tenth that number could deliver network and service upgrades to high priority areas. And, if Scrooge comes knocking, network reform can deliver some great improvements with no extra buses needed if wasteful service duplication is pruned. Abolishing reduced summer timetables on the few bus routes that still have them, fully standardising public holiday schedules and adding afternoon service to routes that finish midday Saturdays are further cheap upgrades.
If passengers can't reach stops they won't use public transport. High car traffic speeds and volumes is a major impediment in many areas. Agencies like Vicroads, whose mission has been to maximise car traffic throughput, have tended to regard pedestrians (and public transport users) as inconveniences rather than people with legitimate transport needs.
Hence roads often have excessive turning radii, unnecessary slip lanes, long gaps between signalised crossings and roundabouts that keep pedestrians stranded indefinitely. The cure is a program, pursued with no less vigour than the current level crossing removals, to replace roundabouts with signalised intersections on busier roads and install raised paths and zebra crossings across quieter streets. The aim could be to achieve easy pedestrian access to every tram and bus stop at any time of the day within four years.
Hence roads often have excessive turning radii, unnecessary slip lanes, long gaps between signalised crossings and roundabouts that keep pedestrians stranded indefinitely. The cure is a program, pursued with no less vigour than the current level crossing removals, to replace roundabouts with signalised intersections on busier roads and install raised paths and zebra crossings across quieter streets. The aim could be to achieve easy pedestrian access to every tram and bus stop at any time of the day within four years.
OK, so none of this will happen by this Christmas. And getting two done by next Christmas would appear a miracle. But doing most by five Christmases time would transform public transport. Probably by as much if not more than the Metro Tunnel at a fraction of the cost and risk.
Yes, finding funding is an issue. But it's less an issue than political will and a willingness to shift resources to where they'd have greater benefit. For comparison, the cost of one level crossing removal could fund a year's worth of massive service upgrades across the whole network well beyond everything listed above. Ten level crossing removals would do the same for a decade. Similar comments apply to new freeways and (to a lesser extent) boondoggles within public transport such as the 'Free' Tram Zone and duplicative bus routes.
What are you thoughts? I'd enjoy reading them so please leave them in the comments below and have a great Christmas and new year.
Yes, finding funding is an issue. But it's less an issue than political will and a willingness to shift resources to where they'd have greater benefit. For comparison, the cost of one level crossing removal could fund a year's worth of massive service upgrades across the whole network well beyond everything listed above. Ten level crossing removals would do the same for a decade. Similar comments apply to new freeways and (to a lesser extent) boondoggles within public transport such as the 'Free' Tram Zone and duplicative bus routes.
What are you thoughts? I'd enjoy reading them so please leave them in the comments below and have a great Christmas and new year.
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3 comments:
This is my favourite of your blog posts so far.
Swanston Street and St Kilda Road trams are terribly overcrowded but more trams will lead to more tram congestion. What is needed is larger trams designed for quick movement on and off for passengers, such as the E Class, but not as large as the E Class. There are rumours of a smaller F Class tram being considered and I think they should come sooner rather than later and be rid of stinking hot Z class trams.
Vicroads has the knowledge of tram priority and at times have done it very well, but there seems to be no will to have it more widespread.
My largest gripes with PTV of course is the wait times and reliability. More services would fix that and reduce stress in getting to where we need to go. 20 minute services would not even cost that much more to provide, so great idea!
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