True, but I imagine it's a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem - more half-empty buses driving around the suburbs is unlikely to increase ridership... It seems to me there's already plenty of people who could be taking public transport but are not yet (dis)incentivised enough yet to make the change. I'm no expert, so can't say whether the solution is doing it 'better' or 'cheaper'; but safe to assume that 'cheaper' options are most likely cheaper to implement.
I’m no expert either. Ideally I’d like to see both, free, fast and frequent public transport. I live in Melbourne central (one of the many young NZers pushed out of the country that Bernard often talks about) I’m within the free tram zone and the ease of hopping on to get down the road is so convenient.
The main three things in my opinion that need to be tackled are:
1. Properly costing the true cost of private transport (car parks are often subsidised directly or indirectly through parking minimums, the climate externalities aren’t costed, while the accident costs are cuffed via ACC the health costs of pollution and being stuck in car dependent neighbourhoods aren’t)
2. We haven’t invested in public transit, the infrastructure isn’t there and what we have in a lot of places are unattractive options.
3. The cost of use especially in the face of point 1 is often unattractive and in low-income situations becomes a barrier to participation within society . I guess the end question is how and who pays for it... if we had a *cough* broad based land tax, land on well run transit routes would be naturally higher and generate more revenue for govt.
The cost of funding free public transit imo is better utilised funding newer, better, and more frequent transit networks.
True, but I imagine it's a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem - more half-empty buses driving around the suburbs is unlikely to increase ridership... It seems to me there's already plenty of people who could be taking public transport but are not yet (dis)incentivised enough yet to make the change. I'm no expert, so can't say whether the solution is doing it 'better' or 'cheaper'; but safe to assume that 'cheaper' options are most likely cheaper to implement.
I’m no expert either. Ideally I’d like to see both, free, fast and frequent public transport. I live in Melbourne central (one of the many young NZers pushed out of the country that Bernard often talks about) I’m within the free tram zone and the ease of hopping on to get down the road is so convenient.
The main three things in my opinion that need to be tackled are:
1. Properly costing the true cost of private transport (car parks are often subsidised directly or indirectly through parking minimums, the climate externalities aren’t costed, while the accident costs are cuffed via ACC the health costs of pollution and being stuck in car dependent neighbourhoods aren’t)
2. We haven’t invested in public transit, the infrastructure isn’t there and what we have in a lot of places are unattractive options.
3. The cost of use especially in the face of point 1 is often unattractive and in low-income situations becomes a barrier to participation within society . I guess the end question is how and who pays for it... if we had a *cough* broad based land tax, land on well run transit routes would be naturally higher and generate more revenue for govt.
Haha, on 3, you're definately a man after my own heart!