ITS Monday: Edition 47, 2020

Why Australian cities need post-COVID vision, not free parking

The issue of cities making it more attractive for drivers with offers of free, or reduced price parking has been generating comment for a few weeks now. This piece from The Conversation is by academics from the University of Sydney, Monash University, and RMIT University. ‘These car-led approaches to a hoped-for economic recovery were rushed out ahead of new evidence and modelling. This approach also goes against decades of available evidence on the detrimental impacts of conventional urban parking policies in Australia and internationally.’

‘Scar through Sydney’s heart’: Light rail on wish-list for reviving Parramatta Road

As a transplanted Sydneysider, I can say with some knowledge on the matter, Parramatta Road is a living, breathing, slow-moving altar of the Church of Traffic Congestion. It needs some serious help.

‘Planning Minister Rob Stokes says the NSW government and councils need to act quickly to revitalise Parramatta Road over the next few years as completion of the WestConnex motorway opens a rare opportunity for change with traffic congestion to ease along the maligned strip. His comments come as a report by the Committee for Sydney urges the government to build a light rail line or operate trackless trams along a stretch of Parramatta Road from Burwood to the city, while cutting speed limits and closing connecting streets to create plazas.’

Building a train network for the future

Post-COVID, it’s important for several reasons (congestion, public confidence and safety, …) that public transport is seen a safe way to travel. Victoria is adding services, re-working timetables, as a way of reducing crowding on trains. This is the press release from the Premier of Victoria, A Dan Plan if you will. ‘We know COVID Normal will see people travelling differently than in the past – working from home arrangements, more services and a discount for off-peak travel will make it easier for people to stagger their trips.’

Key tool for getting Auckland moving more efficiently

While we’re on government press releases, this one is from across the ditch, and touches on a recent report on a topic that is a transport and politics ‘third rail’ – congestion charging. ‘\The report finds that congestion pricing would bring significant benefits for all Aucklanders, including more reliable journey times across the city, increased business productivity, improved air quality and lower vehicle emissions. The suggested charges would improve the performance of motorways and main roads by eight to 12 per cent and have about the same impact on overall road efficiency as seen during school holidays.’

Transport access manual: A guide for measuring connection between people and places

A new publication by David Levinson and David King, ‘… a guide for quantifying and evaluating access for anybody interested in truly understanding how to measure the performance of transport and land use configurations. It contains enough to help transport and planning professionals achieve a more comprehensive look at their city or region than traditional transport analysis allows. It provides a point of entry for interested members of the public as well as practitioners by being organized in a logical and straightforward way.’

It is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 licence.

Why Cargo bikes? An empirical analysis of the Pedal Me fleet

The title, published on the pedalme.co.uk website, says it all. ‘For e-cargo bikes to be able to replace a significant proportion of van and car journeys, we explain the importance of using them at their maximum potential and give a brief overview of the training program at Pedal Me. In the end, we look at the huge impact e-cargo bikes can have beyond more efficient logistics for making kinder and healthier cities.’

Cycling, health and safety

‘This report of the International Transport Forum’s Cycling Safety Working Group monitors international trends in cycling, safety and policy, and explores options that may help decision makers design safe environments for cycling.’

Rotterdam drops €233 million on green spaces — and they look INCREDIBLE

‘While it has previously been referred to as ‘the ugliest city of the Netherlands’, Rotterdam is now leaving its legacy behind. The city has now invested €233 million to make seven different awesome green city improvements.’