As part of its focus on the future of transport, regional centre Albury has unveiled its latest transport plans, including a re-jig of the existing bus network.
In its MOVE plan, the Albury City Council has confirmed that bus services in the region don’t reach growth areas to create a quality network, while inconsistent ticketing between NSW and Victoria has created problems.
The first of four themes directly targets the bus network, looking at ways to make the city of Albury more sustainable and connected by public transport.
The MOVE report says that currently only one per cent of residents use public transport, with the 2033 target is set at 3.9 per cent.
If there were no barriers to vehicle uptake, residents said they would prefer to take the bus ahead of anything else, including bikes, trains, electric bikes or walking.
“Public transport doesn’t go where I need to go in a timely manner. It doesn’t run regularly enough, so with connections, a 10-minute drive takes over an hour,” a survey respondent says.
The strategic objective is to create an improved public transport network in Albury Wodonga, using the low energy usage per passenger of bus networks by creating more accessible bus shelters.
The council will now track percentage increase of public transport numbers while working to connect the bus network and build accessible shelters.
The council is also investigating the development of a multimodal public transport interchange at Albury Train Station to encourage bus patronage, with the existing Wodonga CBD interchange being potentially relocated to a better spot.
The council will also advocate to state governments for increased bus services to the Albury Airport as part of a joint review of the bus network.