Public Transport: The highs and the lows

More alternatives to cars.....Public Transport

I have been spruiking bikes for a number of posts (mainly because I love riding) but now it is time to move on to other alternatives to driving private cars. I have chosen to discuss public transport, a form of travel that really should be the most widely used out of any vehicle choice.


Personally, I have mixed feelings about public transport.

Sydney's public transport is to put it mildly, terrible. It is second rate in nearly every facet. There are enormous gaps in the public transport network, such as the lack of train-line to the northern beaches, rarely are services on time, they are crowded, overworked and most worryingly they are relatively expensive to use.

The below video is an interesting comparison between Sydney's public transport, and that of a third world country. Please check it out, it is illuminating. 

Yet public transport could hold the key to Sydney's traffic, congestion and pollution woes. Public transport has a wide number of benefits, including:

• Saving money. Regardless of the cost of catching Sydney's buses, trains and ferries, the overall cost savings of public transport is huge compared to owning a car. Think no registration fees, fuel, maintenance and the money adds up. 
• Environmental impact. Public transport is much more energy efficient. A full train has the potential to take over 600 cars off the road! Amazing. 
• Congestion/Traffic: The cost of congestion, in terms of time lost, is huge. Public transport, especially trains and ferries, have clear access to their destination. Taking cars off the roads and using public transport has the potential to get workers into the city quicker and ensure less congestion on the roads. 
• Health: Using public transport ensures greater mobility, with people having to walk to bus stops, train stations and to their final destination. This only adds to the health benefit.

 There are not too many negatives associated with public transport. However, they might include:

• Infrastructure cost. Public transport can cost a lot in infrastructure and maintenance. With the fees generated not covering all expenses. Generally will be a loss for the government. 
• Time. For some cities, such as Sydney, public transport is unreliable and does not run all the time, making it difficult to trust that it will get you where you need to be.

There is a lot to like about public transport. When put in place properly, such as in Singapore/Hong Kong or Shanghai, public transport can mean moving around a city with unlimited mobility at a fraction of the cost of driving. However, Sydney is a city of public transport gone wrong.

I actually want to further explore Sydney's public transport issues and how they could be fixed in my next blog, because it is a huge issue and one that I struggle with everyday.

If you are interested, check out these articles on the novelties of public transport:

• http://bigthink.com/think-tank/should-all-public-transit-be-free
• http://www.sustrans.org.uk/change-your-travel/reducing-your-car-use/why-use-public-transport
• http://www.vexen.co.uk/notes/public_transport.html