The new “activity centres” will include the construction of taller residential buildings in 50 areas, with the first 25 centres mostly located in Melbourne’s south-east along the Sandringham, Frankston and Glen Waverley train lines.
- Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter to receive the latest news and classifieds from Australasia’s bus and coach industry
- Don’t miss a second and subscribe to our monthly ABC magazine
With the VIC government seeking to develop more housing, high quality public transport will be key to ensuring that new residents get around without having to drive. While some destinations are served by the rail network, many trips must be taken by bus, to nearby suburbs or other areas not served by rail.
The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) reviewed bus services in the 25 announced centres, finding that the current services offered are not up to scratch.
Of the 51 bus routes reviewed, only four routes (8 per cent) offered a good service of every 15 minutes on weekdays and 20 minutes on weekends.
16 routes (31 per cent) offered fair services, with 15-20 minute services at times on weekdays, but far less frequent services of typically 30-40 minutes on weekends.
22 routes (43 per cent ) offered low quality services while 9 routes (17.6 per cent) offered a poor service, with buses hourly or worse, or not running at all on weekends.
“Melbourne’s bus services are letting us down. Too many routes, including those serving important activity centres, simply do not run often enough to be a good option to driving,” PTUA spokesperson Daniel Bowen says.
“Train services are also lacking in many areas, with evening and Sunday morning services particularly poor.
“There is a real possibility that higher density will bring traffic chaos if better public transport, walking and cycling options are not provided.
“As Melbourne grows, the State Government must invest in more public transport services – particularly buses – to ensure that more people can get to where they’re going without being forced to drive.”
With Melbourne’s population set to double, areas slated for additional growth need to have access to high quality public transport they can rely on, at all times of the week.
“Services that come every half an hour or even worse might have been appropriate in past decades, however numerous studies and patronage data proves that the better a bus service becomes, the more passengers it attracts,” the PTUA study reads.
“Melbourne has already been given the title as Australia’s most congested city, and our traffic problem will only continue to worsen if established areas become more populated without a cohesive vision to improve all modes of public transport in an integrated manner.”