Australasian Bus & Coach Issue 344

I’ve heard stories about the good ol’ days when children were allowed to roam the streets barefoot as long as they made sure they were home in time for dinner. Sure, as a child in regional New Zealand, we were encouraged to get out of the house during daylight hours – long days at the local swimming pool come to mind – but by that time the internet had become more prevalent, and the world a much scarier place. As a bit of a late bloomer in the driving department of said small town, which has a few commuter train services each day an hour and a half away into the city, I was lucky my parents were willing to pick me up from my part-time job during high school.…

Australians are willing to accept a half-hour commute or more, suggesting a 40-minute city is a more realistic goal for the largest Australian cities, a recent study reveals. The University of Sydney Business School Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies’ (ITLS) Transport Opinion Survey (TOPS) found about 37 minutes each way was the upper limit for most people. The University of Sydney Business School ITLS director professor David Hensher says the findings could have an impact on the way liveable cities are planned. “There has been a great deal of talk about the 20-minute city, with every suburb within a short commute to everyday services and jobs,” Hensher says. “However, this survey offers up the idea of the 40 minute commute city at least as a starting aspiration.” Western Australians…

Female-only train carriages should be introduced on metropolitan services in Australian cities, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) proposed recently. Threatening, unwanted sexual or anti-social behaviour towards females is a problem on public transport and a deterrent for those who would use public transport services if they felt safer, particularly after dark. Rail, Tram and Bus Union national secretary Bob Nanva says industry must do more to protect commuters from thugs and perverts on public transport. More security staff are also being called for to help public transport users feel safer, especially at night. Since September 2012 there have been 2859 criminal offences against women on public transport, including almost 19 sexual offences against women on New South Wales buses, trams and trains every month, according to Nanva. Germany…

A route and design plan for New Zealand’s first urban busway has been submitted to Auckland Council, Auckland Transport (AT) announced this week. The designated route for the busway is between Panmure to Pakuranga in Auckland’s eastern suburbs and is a key project in AT’s plan to provide more frequent and reliable bus services. AT programme director Peter King says large numbers of new passengers, who would otherwise be adding to traffic congestion, are expected to be attracted by buses travelling on congestion free lanes every five to 10 minutes between Panmure and Pakuranga. The busway is expected to account for about 35 per cent of all journeys across Panmure Bridge in 2026, about 22,000 bus passengers a day. Safety improvements for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians are also an important…

A nationwide survey to assess the roadworthiness of heavy vehicles in Australia is set to go ahead later this year, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) announced recently. There are about 520,000 heavy vehicles in Australia and NHVR wants to better understand the safety of the national fleet to help operators achieve consistency and develop an accepted standard of roadworthiness. The National Roadworthy Baseline Survey will sample approximately 9000 heavy vehicles, including rigid, articulated, B-doubles, road trains, buses and plant equipment. “For the first time in Australia, we’ll be conducting a national survey of heavy vehicle roadworthiness using trained inspectors to gather consistent safety information,” NHVR chief executive officer Sal Petroccitto says. “Different data is currently compiled by each state and territory which means that the roadworthiness of heavy vehicles…

People on board buses approaching Sydney’s CBD from the south east are warned to expect delays as more of the city shuts to traffic while light-rail construction progresses from this week onwards. The latest work is centred around Moore Park as a new light-rail tunnel is dug out underneath Anzac Parade. Sydney CBD coordinator General Marg Prendergast says a temporary diversion is now in place on a busy section of Anzac Parade near Albert Tibby Cotter Bridge. All traffic on Anzac Parade will be directed onto the temporary road diversion and will return to normal around the middle of next year. This level of bus service disruption was to be avoided in initial plans, which involved keeping more roads open during construction – but the goal is now to reduce…