Network type and city size

As towns and cities increase in size, the type and role of their public transport networks change.

Moving from rural to major urban areas, and from least sophisticated to most sophisticated, the progression is normally as follows:

1. School bus routes only.
2. Seniors door to door shopper or community bus operating a few days a week.
3. Fixed route/fixed timetable town buses operating a few services in the middle of the day, again mainly for shoppers going into town.
4. Fixed route/fixed timetable town buses offering the above plus am and pm peak hour service for shoppers and town centre commuters.
5. Fixed route/fixed timetable town buses offering the above plus weekend and evening services suitable for shoppers, commuters and leisure trips into town.
6. A web-like network of scheduled services with cross-suburban as well as CBD routes and easy transfers between services.
7. A web-like network of services, with trunk services to the CBD using heavy and/or light rail and local cross-suburban feeder routes using buses.
8. A web-like network, with both trunk services to the CBD and the more important cross-suburban circumfrential routes using light and/or heavy rail.

The types of centres served by these services are as follows:

1. Settlements up to several hundred have only school buses and, if they are lucky, the odd coach to a large regional city. 2. Larger towns up to a few thousand might also have a community bus for the seniors. If on a passenger railway, regional trains may stop there. 3. Towns around 10000 (eg Sale) tend to have a rudimentary fixed route bus system but with operating span and frequency only suitable for day shoppers (not work commuters). 4. Bigger centres of 30 000 or more may have services before 10am and after 4pm, allowing some use for town centre commuters. 5. Even larger cities (such as Geelong) have much the above, but with weekend and some evening services. However as with examples 3 & 4 all routes converge on the CBD. 6 and 7 are more characteristic of Australian capital cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. However due to limited services the network may still be CBD-centric, so may retreat to being closer to 5 during these times. 8. is only found in the big transit cities such as Paris and Moscow, and there are no examples in Australia.

The least sophisticated networks (1 & 2) cater for special-need groups only, so can't legitimately be called 'public transport'. Those who aren't in the nominated groups cannot use these services. They they will drive, cycle or walk, so the public transport modal share in these centres is small.

Networks 3 to 5 represent conventional small city public transport systems, and can cater for varying types of town-centre trips. Network coverge, operating span and service frequency tend to governing the range of trips it can cater for and represent the main differences between 3, 4 and 5. Inter-suburban trips may require backtracking to a town-centre terminus, so are less attractive.

Networks 6, 7 and 8 represent the most developed systems and are the most versatile. They can cater for a wide range of CBD and cross-suburban trips throughout the day and night. Cities with 7 and (especially) 8 offer car-competitive travel times and have the highest modal share for public transport.

Inspiration on the Frankston train

Both the greatest strength and the greatest weakness of travelling on public transport can be the public. In this it's no different to shopping centres or on the street. Hence parents publicly scolding their children or the details of a relationship breakdown being shouted into a mobile phone. Try as one may, such carrying on is hard to ignore when the voice fills the whole carriage and one's mind is compelled to fill in the blanks.

The flip side is that there are also some great conversations to be heard on trains, trams and buses. One does not wish to be rude and be seen to be listening in, but the content of such discussions can be compelling and divert attention from the scenery or book at hand.

Quality conversations can be as prosaic as two grandmothers talking about their offspring and their families. Another example, also heard on the Frankston train, was where someone has a passion for something (in this case composing electronic music) and made a success of it as an independent. Even as one with no interest or knowledge of the topic, the human interest is universal, the enthusiasm infectious and the content genuinely uplifting.

If you discount the bad and savour the good, the overall result is a net benefit, so the exposure to same can be considered to be one more advantage of using convivial modes such as public transport.

What politicians have said about public transport
Parliamentary speeches about public transport, as reported in the Victorian Hansard.
The search function includes entries from about 1991. Note that the list produced may take 5-10 seconds to appear due to its size. Also it may be incomplete. Users can refine their searches by using more specific terms.
UPDATE 3 JUNE 2006
Here's a few on still-topical matters. Be prepared to sift through debate, ranting, history lessons and promises - both fulfilled and unfulfilled!
31 May, 2006 Meeting our Transport Challenges
30 May, 2006 Smartbus rollout
17 August, 2005 Outer eastern transport improvements
19 July, 2005 Station at Southland
24 August, 2004 Review of Sandringham line train evening frequency
27 May 2004 Sandringham and Frankston line train reliability
2 May, 2002 Metcard reliability
2 March, 2002 City loop capacity
9 October, 2001 Sometimes petitioners get some of what they want!
2 October, 2001 Eastern suburbs transport
23 May, 2000 A question
23 May, 2000 private operation
2 December, 1999 More trains & 3rd track to Mitcham
2 May, 1999 Automated ticketing, etc
29 April 1997 Abolishing the Summer train timetable
6 December, 1996 Glen Waverley Sunday train improvements
13 November, 1996 Echuca Sprinter
16 October, 1996 Speech by Robin Cooper
31 October, 1996 Automated ticketing
2 June, 1996 Bell Station
2 May, 1996 Station at Campbellfield
4 October, 1995 Nightrider buses
2 September, 1995 Doncaster buses
2 December, 1994 Freeway debate
19 October, 1994 664 service improvements
2 October, 1994 Doncaster bus changes
29 March, 1994 Bus-only ticketing
2 March, 1994 Rant about Labor transport ministers
17 November, 1993 Bus route 788
13 May, 1993 Reduced tram service frequencies
19 May, 1992 What to do about Cranbourne rail?
7 May, 1992 Some local member wishes also get granted
17 March, 1992 Enforcing scratch tickets
6 June, 1991 Bus services
10 September, 1991 Tram to Knox
18 April, 1991 Sprinters to Sunbury
20 March, 1991 Mornington Peninsula transport
13 November 1990 Questions on rolling stock leases