ITS Monday: Edition 41, 2021

Labor pledges to plan trackless trams in Melbourne’s south-east

It is I think fair to say that Australia is in gearing up for the next election mode. Here’s Labor talking transport, pledging ‘… $6 million to plan a trackless tram route to connect Caulfield Station, Chadstone Shopping Centre, Monash University in Clayton and Rowville, if it wins the next election.’ That’s $6 million to investigate the business case for this mode of transport in these places. Sidenote: I still have to stop myself twitching when I hear the term trackless tram. It’s more the lovechild of a long bus and a tram. Do we need a portmanteau to reflect this, or a new name altogether? Or are you happy with trackless tram?

Mapping bicycling ridership across Sydney metropolitan area with Strava data

An article based on his and his team’s research, by Meead Saberi, Associate Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UNSW Sydney. ‘We have worked with Transport for NSW on a proof of concept research study to develop a machine learning model to estimate bicycling volumes, number of bicycling trips and total bicycling kilometers travelled across the Sydney metropolitan area over a 2–3 years period (2019–2021).’

Electric vehicle purchases are increasing in Australia but barriers remain, experts say

A one-hour discussion from the ABC’s The Conversation Hour, hosted by Richelle Hunt. The main guest is Dr Chris Jones of the Australian Electric Vehicles Association. ‘Ask someone why they don’t have an electric vehicle and they’ll most likely say they are too expensive, or not fit for purpose. Of the 31 models available in Australia, only 14 of them are priced under $65,000, while the average cost of a petrol or diesel car ranges between $20,000 and $50,000. And some are still worried about where they will be able to charge them, especially if they’re on a long trip. So what’s being done to remove these barriers?’

Self-sufficient hydrogen underlies Qld bus fleet conversion

Emerald Coaches, a private bus company operating in Queensland’s Central Highlands region, is making the jump to hydrogen-powered vehicles. It’s planning two to be built and in use in 2022, with its entire fleet to be powered by hydrogen fuel cell electricity by 2040. Not only putting the buses into its fleet, the company will also be producing its own green hydrogen on-site.

Transport planning in uncertain times

A piece by Kate Mackay, Australia practice leader for transport planning at Mott MacDonald. ‘As transport planners, we have witnessed an acceleration in pace of change impacting transport and travel behaviour over the past few decades. It’s now a more complex picture.’

Keolis trials 5G-connected, remotely monitored autonomous electric minibus

‘In addition to being 5G-connected, remotely monitored and autonomous, Keolis’s new electric minibus features an internal AI system that detects passengers’ wellbeing and behaviour.’ This vehicle was tested in late October, and Keolis and its Swedish partners plan to start running trials without a safety driver on board at the end of 2022/ early 2023. See/hear more about the 5G Ride project in this short video.

Parking kills businesses, not bikes or buses

Data on the fact(s) that nearby parking is not the lifeblood to local businesses that some think it absolutely continues to be released, and continues to be a seemingly hard sell, if not simply disbelieved. This presentation of findings here is from Dr Timothy F. Welch, a Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland.