Sprawling transport not up to par

A REPORT comparing the public transport systems of 52 cities internationally, commissioned by the State Government, has found that only North American cities have worse access to services than Melbourne.

And the Public Transport Standards Review, completed by respected transport analysts Booz and Co, has found Melbourne's public transport system performs worse than some Australian capitals in principal areas as well.

The report was completed as part of a government transport statement, released last month, and found eastern European cities invested 137 per cent more in public transport per head of population than Melbourne.

Western European cities invested 57 per cent more.

Only North American cities spent less on public transport per person than Melbourne, according to the report.

Melbourne is one of the developed world's most car-dependent cities, and the study sheds light on why: relatively poor access to public transport because the city is so spread out, and travel times 26 per cent slower than the car.

In cities with excellent public transport systems and worse road congestion — including London, Moscow, Rome and Munich — cars are as much as 50 per cent slower than trains or buses.

Western European cities such as Paris, Bern and Rotterdam had up to 13 times more services per urban hectare than Melbourne, which compared badly because of its vast urban sprawl.

Premier John Brumby last month guaranteed that the sprawl would continue, announcing a planned expansion of the city's growth boundaries on the north-west and south-east fringes...

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Planners attack sprawl, question transport plan

Clay Lucas

PLANNERS have asked why the State Government has released a major strategy to let Melbourne's sprawl extend without first releasing a detailed transport plan.

The Government announced yesterday that it would rezone 50,000 hectares of farmland on Melbourne's city fringe into building lots.

"Where is the transport plan?" Planning Institute president Jason Black asked.

The community needed to know how growth areas would be accessible by public transport and road, Mr Black said.

A proposed metropolitan rail line between Werribee and Sunshine must form part of the Government's transport strategy if Melbourne's west was to have adequate public transport, he said.

The $1.5 billion rail line was proposed by Sir Rod Eddington in April.

Government sources have confirmed that the rail line, known as the Tarneit link, will be included in the Government's transport plan, due out within days.

Mr Black said the city's expansion had been driven more by population growth projections than by a strategic plan for Melbourne.

And housing would not be made more affordable by the release of more land, Mr Black said.

Last month Curtin University's Peter Newman published a study with global engineering company Parsons Brinckerhoff that showed development of housing on the urban fringe cost $85,000 more per block than on existing inner-city sites.

"Governments just don't know how to stop sprawl, because they don't know how to facilitate high-density building," Professor Newman said.

The expansion will further increase Melbourne's carbon emissions. The city produces 11 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, compared with 8.5 million tonnes in London, despite having almost half the population.

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City of 8 million 'unliveable' - theage.com.au

by Cameron Houston and Royce Millar

Will Melbourne still be marvellous when it's twice as big? Photo: Craig Abraham

MELBOURNE'S population could explode to almost 8 million by 2056, placing massive strain on the city's public transport, water supplies and rapidly expanding urban boundary.

While the nation's population is set to hit 35.5 million by 2056, Melbourne is expected to grow to between 6.1 million and 7.9 million, according to new projections by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Melbourne's population could exceed Sydney's by 2039, according to the bureau's highest projection. The bureau made three projections based on different rates of migration, life expectancy and fertility.

Planning experts warn that Melbourne's much-vaunted liveability could be destroyed if the unexpected growth projections prove correct, and have urged the State Government to radically overhaul its infrastructure policy and investment.

"These projections are unprecedented. None of the state governments around the country have assumed figures anything like this," said Bob Birrell, director of the Centre for Population and Urban Research at Monash University.

He said 1 million more houses would be needed over the next 30 years, as the State Government battles to contain urban sprawl and the housing affordability crisis.

"The Government is going to have to rethink its planning across the entire spectrum. It's a massive task that just got bigger," Dr Birrell said...

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