Deficiencies of Existing Public Transport System and Improvements for The Sunshine Coast

Transport services provided by the local government or the state government are usually affordable, accessible in most regions and aids movement to health facilities, recreational centers, schools and work places. A recent increase in population of cities, connecting nodes as a result of rural-urban migration in search of better social-economical needs has exerted pressure on existing transport system diminishing its economic viability significantly in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. Consequently, there was a shift on reliance of public transport into privately owned motor vehicles. Personal private vehicles are large in numbers and the side effects include long and sustained traffic, increase emission of effluents. For this crisis to be solved a modern transport system that is well organised, with timed schedules should be introduced to minimize the existing deficiencies experienced in public transportation. Therefore, there is an urgent need to introduce a well-organized, properly scheduled rapid mass transit system minimizing the existing deficiencies.

Public transport is a mode of transport available to the general public and owned by local or state governments in context of large cities it is called mass transits systems (White. 2002). It can be provided by various types of modes such as transit buses and train services; however, most urban centers have been using buses and minibuses for transport, also train services has been available for quite sometimes. Public transport is the backbone of most urban centers economic and social activities hence becoming a crucial element in overall success of an urban center’s transportation system. The mobility of the working class who are not well off enough to afford private cars is guaranteed and enabled, helps in creating and maintaining livable communities with high density land use, congestion resulting from several private cars is reduced significantly and it is present for a very long time as it is sustainable through sharing of resources whilst protecting the environment at the same time. The passenger capacity of public transport systems is large and this provides opportunity for large number of transport at once especially during peak hours of the day. In trying to control congestions on the road, integration of land use and transport, expansion of roads and further construction of new roads have produced desired results according to various studies. However, the most efficient and reliable way of controlling congestions in urban centers is using public transport services.

Unlike the private vehicles which can respond to the changing demand of transportation public transport system is a process changing as time passes at a pace that is not always responsive to achieve the required services within a short period of time or instantly but rather takes extended periods of time. Compared to other forms of transportation which can accommodate a few people, mass transits require massive capital to develop and service them. The public transport infrastructure investment is directly proportional to the possible economical turnover and the population serviced. Construction and expansion of existing roads and infrastructure solves the problem of congestion for a while, this has been experienced in several urban centres and cities (Tiwari, G. 2002). Unfortunately it seems to encourage purchase and use of private vehicles which increases emission of carbon (iv) oxide leading to environmental pollution and worse much dense traffic congestion are experienced and its associated side effects like air and noise pollution (Beirão, G., & SarsfieldCabral, J. A. 2007). As a result of inadequate funding, an improved public transportation is the most effective solution to decongesting roads as compared to investing in other transport forms. An efficient public transport system in terms of scheduling, ability to accommodate a large number of commuters at a time and more accessible is the definite solution to congestions and should be incepted into future plans of urban centers (Mackett, R. L. 2001).

The Sunshine Coast council is served by buses, train services, air transport, bike riding and walking as the major modes of transport. However, residents are heavily dependent on private transport; the rate of private car ownership is high which can be evidenced by a large population of driving license holders. It is estimated that only a portion use public transport weekly and this low dependence on public transport has been attributed to poor accessibility, inconvenient frequencies, uncompetitive journey times and lastly presence of personal cars. There has been an increase in the number of dwellers cycling and walking. Consequently, the car dominated travels is a result of scattered population pattern, lack of viable public transport and distances between centers which makes walking and cycling not an option.

The major challenges experienced include:

• A rapidly growing and ageing population- the population of Sunshine Coast has been increasing over the years and it is expected that the current transport system will not be able to serve these growing polpulation. The population is growing old and this also presents a challenge for making exceptional travel provisions in order to access health care services amongst others. The public transport lacks infrastructure to accommodate the ageing group. Accessible transport system such as pathways and crossings that can accommodate all users must be incorporated.
• High private car dependency- dependency on cars as a mode of transportation is high. Dispersed population pattern, which resulted in inadequate public transport system led to a culture of reliance on personal vehicles. The easy access to parking space has also influenced use of public transport.
• Congestion- the high car dependency is the major cause of congestion during rush-hours and absence of parking space in some locations. Topographic limitation has also been cited as another cause of traffic congestion in the region due to lack of connectivity. Absence of appropriate parallel routes running both north-south and east-west means that the current network is less resilient and is majorly prone to accidents.
• Deficient and improper bus terminals - bus terminals are improperly placed with respect to population distribution patterns. Many components of the system are missing along with some basic amenities. Moreover, there is acute shortage of bus stands with standard facilities throughout the region. Besides this, there are more deficiencies in regulatory sector measures like inadequate loading and unloading and on street ticket counter.
• Non-coordinated transport system - the existing modes and sub-modes (bus-water-cycling and walking) are acting independently of each other. Only a small percentage of travels are made by public transport of which most of trips are completed by using buses. Travel share of other transit system via rail and water are very insignificant. Nearly 70% of all trips are made by personal vehicles. Peak hour commuter movement is mainly road based. Other alternative travel systems have inherent weakness, as they are not aligned with commuter movement paths.
• Lack of passenger information- crucial commuter information, in terms of route maps, schedules, or service time coverage, is virtually non-existent. For the majority of buses service, passengers rely either on familiarity with their schedule, or wait for their arrival at bus stop.
• Fragmented ownership- the main public means are transit buses, which are operated by the local government and others privately owned. The private buses could be owned by multiple operators. There is tendency of multiple operators competing in the same route, which often leads to inefficient road use.

Recommended Transport Policies to Increase Modal Share of Public Transport

The Sunshine Coast Council would improve the quality and quantity of public transport services and the modal share of public transport within the next to 30% of all trips by acquisition and protection of future transport corridors, investing in better management of the road network, as part of an integrated multi-modal transport system for the region. The integrated transport system will include; high frequency transport connections between major centers which will increase competitiveness and adequate growth as on-time delivery will be achieved, light bus transport, light rail or passenger rail are the most reliable for this section.

Secondly, introduction and improvement of the already existing local and feeder roads and services to support the high frequency transport system which in turn would provide quick connections and local travel options. Moreover, vehicles which are mostly privately owned will still be the most efficient and dominating means of transport in the hinterland parts of the region and movement of freight. Additionally, transport network which is healthy, sustainable and convenient should be prioritised. Cycling and walking will be the natural choice for short distances in urban centers. Lastly, connections in the end and beginning points of the system meant to supplement the deficiency in the network facilitating connections to the entire system, connection to major stops, allowing movement within centers. The available options are walking, cycling, buses and carpooling.

For a transport system to be sustainable it should adopt a transport plan that is very active within the local government, a light rail that runs throughout the local government jurisdiction, incorporates environmental friendly modes such as walking and cycling into any major infrastructural developments, championing and seeking support with the state government to develop sufficient infrastructure and services, introduction of reasonable transport levy fund to finance the construction of infrastructure and improvement of the existing ones as funds for transport system advancement are limited and lastly a road safety plan should be put in place and implemented.

Road management which entails design and implementation of improvements directed at creating a more understandable road network to its users. The management of roads will be determined and controlled by the guidelines set in place, the roles which in overall are laid down by the nomenclature of roads. Management of demand of the transport services during rush hours should be concentrated on periods with the greatest influx of passengers, days with a considerable number of visitors, student trips.

A further improvement of the local road to facilitate linkages with other road networks is going to be of great value to all road users and every other transport mode in the region. When the road network is more linked it is expected that there will be an increase in network capacity to quickly recover from challenges of congestion, accessibility to several places of the urban centre is much easier, reduced congestions due to distribution of vehicles to various localities away from the traffic hotspots and finally the previously absent components of the system needed to complete the road series, and provide continuity on passenger movements.

Intersection upgrades are usually undertaken for safety and/or capacity reasons. The needs of the present mode of transport being used and all the public modes along that route are aligned with the design and implementation of the upgrades. When the intersection is being built it should be ensured that there is no deficiency in routes which are passable as this might motivate commuters to use shortcuts and routes which are not recommended causing traffic jams. Local area traffic management should only be used as a last resort. The preferred solution is better road design although some treatment may be needed in existing areas with increasing non-local traffic load or excessive speed.

Network resilience - The local council road network planning should be able to provide and maintain an accepted level of service in the face of faults and challenges such as extreme weather events and any other form of disruptions. A good example is the Bruce Highway which accidents are becoming more frequent and there has been increased vehicle delays. The available options to controlling traffic are very few. Hence, investments will bring improvements for a period of time in sections with this kind of technical challenge. The existing road plans must be able to provide services in the event of a disaster and be able to recover swiftly to serve the community when the event has come to pass. In some cases, road system modifications upgrade ends up being less and less feasible if the measures needed to control floods during storms and sea tides are not achievable. Outcomes need to balance community benefit with the provision of a transport connection with readily achievable flood immunity versus the costs and timing against flood immunity standards. The future and climate are unpredictable; hence, planning and investment will be needed to respond to challenges caused by climate changes to transport networks.

Road safety is part and parcel of policies of road use and operations. The council will be responsible with provision of education to drivers, cyclists and pedestrians for proper use of road signage. They should also merge the local safety initiatives with the regional safety recommendations. More land use patterns can also be achieved by looking into the demand of the roads and infrastructure which will then aid in management of land allocated for road use. The elements of road safety are: safe speeds which are given for each section of the roads, safe roads in terms of usability and in respect to its roadsides, the type of vehicles used are to be safe and road worthy, and safe road users either as pedestrians, drivers or cyclists. An optimum combination of safety standards is designed to ensure every aspect of road safety is looked into and the provisions made are achievable, furthermore, the useful features of the safety rules should support the economy positively and contribute towards environmental conservation. The road toll due to accidents has risen recently and the aim is to exponentially reduce incidences of trauma throughout the regions’ road, to a possible zero toll. This would mean the roads are absolutely safe. The vehicle manufacturers have also brought new safety features in their cars and this will progressively improve road safety.

The travel programs are to be adjusted in such a way that walking is encouraged for those going to short distances. In the advent of mobile technology smart apps may be used to communicate and provide relevant information to users. This targeted approach is beneficial in that users targeted are the youth, workers and people in close proximity to public transport corridors. The application will allow for changes in modes based on the purpose of the trip which could either be a trip to school, medical facilities or workplaces depending on the person. If weekends travels are purposeful for sport and recreation, the mode of the app could be switched to leisure mode. Targeting specific groups and aiming to increase active travel to and from sport and recreational facilities of places will be essential in reaching the region’s mode share targets and improving the management of the transport network.

The local council may also provide encouragement to the community by providing education programs through promotion of events of national level in the locality, such events are Ride to School Day and Walk to School Day, and these are intended to make families see alternative ways and means or choices which could be used to travel regularly. A program is also needed for car use during the weekdays amongst job going community members. There has been recent information indicating that there is a reduction in the number of people sharing cars and single occupation of cars took precedence. Sharing of cars on certain days of the week and carpooling programs are also an alternative to increasing the uptake of public transport systems as it involves sharing. Efficiency of the cars required is maximised and the environment is also protected through reduced emissions.

The private sector plays a major role in our society through offering employments among others and its involvement will prove useful in implementation of travel behaviour programs by employers where employees generate a number of commuter trips. Their influence will go a long way in ensuring that public transport system increases its modal share in the transportation sector over time.

The Sunshine Coast will also need a high-frequency transport network to manage growth, maintain quality of life through easy access to services and making as many trips as possible at minimum costs and provide viable travel options in terms of suitability, accessibility to places of interest with minimal time. The combination of high frequency bus services, passenger rail and light rail will provide a sustainable means of bulk transportation suitable for the Coastal urban center. The key connection areas are to be identified carefully and this will be between key activity and populated centres, and employment centres on the Coast. Establishment of public transport corridors in this region should be able to accommodate high value, large volumes and transit of high speeds which would be equally competitive with private vehicles. In order to accommodate future population which is projected to rise at a rate of 1.7% per annum which is roughly 8,300 persons per year (ABS 2011), the service will require higher frequencies to ensure timely delivery and strict adherence to the schedule, more east-west connections which are currently deficient causing huge traffic snarl ups, development of more centre to centre connections to ease flow of traffic passing through the city, services are specially provided by specific players in the industry and are express, incorporating the school bus services in the passenger network and finally ensuring that the span of bus services is longer to cater for travellers. These changes will have the ability to shape the future of the network, provide the relevant support for its survival and more importantly ensure it has the right infrastructure to gather for the future population of both the ageing and volume of the population which is expected to be high. The idea of prioritizing the right of way is to ensure that competitive, reliable and well-timed journeys are provided by the high frequency transport connections. A one network approach for the planning is much reliable in terms of planning, delivery and management of the transportation corridor and this would be emphasised particularly in regions with state and local road networks. Furthermore, express services from Sunshine Coast to other major cities will provide competition especially to private cars in terms of time. Increasing the number of hours in which the public transport system is available would make it a preferred choice for a wide range of trips within the state.

The introduction of express services between major centres is essential to provide competitive travel times to cars. An increase in service hours will also make public transport a viable travel option for a range of trips.

In conclusion, Sunshine Coast is experiencing a great deal of traffic and its management is becoming a challenge mainly due to influx in private car and swelling population. A share public transport system would amicably solve the problem and furthermore reduce environmental pollution through reduced emission of effluents. It is hoped that the hierarchy of routes and future proposed feeder access roads will make public transport more attractive and reliable to the working class. The funding of this integrated transport systems will be from both the society through levies and government support also.

References

1. White. (2002). Public transport: its planning, management and operation. London: New York, spon press.
2. Beirão, G., & SarsfieldCabral, J. A. (2007). Understanding Attitudes towards Public Transport and Private Car: A Qualitative Study Transport Policy 14(6), 478-489.
3. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2011
4. Mackett, R. L. (2001). 'Policies to Attract Drivers out of their Cars for Short Trips. Transport Policy, 8(4), 295-306.
5. Victorian Auditor General’s Report, 2014. Coordinating Public Transport. Victorian Government printer, PP No 344, session 2010-14.
6. Creger H., Espino J. and Sanchez S A. (2018).Mobiliy Equity Framework. How to Make Transport Work for people. The Greenlining Institute.