Can European Models of Public Transport Governance Help to save Australian Cities?

Detailed analysis shows that current high levels of car-use are not an inevitable consequence of the physical, cultural or social structure of Australasian cities (Mees 2010b). It should be possible to provide high-quality public transport, with correspondingly high ridership and improved economic efficiency. Since at least the early 1980s, various social movements have articulated the limits to auto-dependence, but Australian urban governments have not been able to achieve public transport outcomes comparable to those of European exemplars, nor even those of Canadian cities like Toronto and Vancouver. Research suggests that the fundamental problem lies in the way Australian cities have chosen to organise, plan and deliver their public transport services (Mees 2010b; Stone 2009). In most cities, there is a clear need for better mechanisms for planning and funding both operational expansion and infrastructure construction. This has been recognised in various policy investigations (IA 2009; Productivity Commission 2010; Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee 2009), and was reflected, in the policies at least, of the major opposition parties at recent state elections in Victoria and NSW.