Greens policy to encourage public transport use - subsidised ACTION tickets and bicycles

Today the media report that the ACT Greens have announced that they would like to see ACTION bus tickets and bicycles included in public servant salary packages. These comments seem to have support from the ACT Government, and the Liberals think that it is an idea worth investigating.

However,  as I have learnt from listening to ACT ALP politicians - its not what they say - it is what is delivered. They say all sorts of warm hug me sounding words. Rarely do they follow through.

My advice to the Greens is to not get too excited until they see actual legislative changes to make the proposed policy a reality. It is a good policy - and would lead to a percentage point or two of extra public transport usage. As parking in Civic decreases or shifts to paid parking, and becomes more expensive, this idea could gain some traction. I encourage the ACT public servants union, the CPSU, to get behind this idea in the next round of certified agreement negotiations.

The difficulties for delivery of the policy are twofold:

• The ACT ALP have no real incentive to actually do anything.
  
• There may be federal fringe benefits tax complications.
  

So a little bit of work from the legal department is in order to ensure aspiration meets reality.

The policy conforms with my general belief that to move people from their private cars to public transport for commuting, you must make public transport comfortable, reliable and frequent. You cannot punish people into using it.

Transport policy for the ACT Greens can be found here. For all their rhetoric on sustainable and green transport, disturbingly the ACT Greens remain welded to the ACTION bus model for public transport in the ACT. Their policy is bus focussed. I understand that they are working with the tools at hand (the existing ACTION bus network) but it is disturbing that they do not have a policy of exploring better mass transit options - such as light rail. This is something that I have gained from talking to Green MLA's as well, not just from looking at their policy.

To achieve the goal that they are asking for, public transport patronage to increase by at least 5% per year between 2008 - 2012 (their policy), they must abandon the idea that ACTION buses can deliver that result. While the bus ticket proposal may eventuate and increase public transport by a percentage point, it will not offer the large scale increase in public transport patronage that a light rail system can deliver.

REDEX - the Bus Rapid Transit you have when you're not having Bus Rapid Transit

Every time the ACT Government conduct a review of transport they have a predictable outcome - a recommendation to improve bus services (in lieu of really offering proper mass transit like light rail). Opponents of light rail say that buses offer the same service that light rail can. This of course is totally false, as the major limiting factor is passenger capacity and reliability of route service.

In the ACT, the government monopoly bus company ACTION have been struggling for years to offer a service that will get people out of their cars and onto public transport. The major problem with ACTION is that it is trying to do two things with the same bus. It trys to offer local services delivering people to transport hubs, or bus interchanges, and it also offers town centre to town centre services. You would think that this would make commuting in Canberra relatively easy and quick. Wrong.

The local service buses meander all over several suburbs in a counter intuitive fashion, with service frequencies of around an hour. Occasionally, they just dont turn up at all. So people drive their car.

The intertown service buses do not run as express services, but service all stops along the way between interchanges. They also share the roads with regular traffic, and are subject to slow traffic, congestion and delays. This impacts frequency and scheduling severely. in peak times, full buses sail past people waiting for them.

Earlier this year, the ACT Transport Minister announced a trial of REDEX Buses . Ostensibly, this is an intertown express service offering increased frequency, and servicing less stops, focussing on major stops where large volumes of people work or live. Bus Rapid Transit 'lite'.

Late last month, the Transport Minister updated the REDEX plans, announcing a delay to the trial and significant alterations. His media release is here.

Am I the only person who finds the use of the word 'improved' in the media release facile ? Slashing the service by 75% of its previously publicised scope, is NOT an improvement.

When announced in May, the service was to service all town centres, Civic and the Parliamentary Triangle. All major service areas, with significant passenger volume needing to be shifted with few stops (or none) along the way. A commendable aim, and one which I supported at the time. If it worked, it would be a demonstrable way to show those who commute by car that their travel times on public transport would drop, and service would be guaranteed to be frequent in peak hours.

The key to attracting people to public transport is to offer reliable, attractive and frequent service to the places people want to go. The REDEX announcement goes partway to satisfying the problem with buses, in that they would be a more direct express service than existing buses.

The 'improved REDEX service' waters down the much publicised trial to a single town centre, Gungahlin.

I was told that Tim Swift would be addressing the Gungahlin Community Council to discuss the REDEX trial, and decided to attend. Mr Swift and ACTIONS Business Manager, Jenny Bowler, attended and showed the audience a large map of the new service route.

The 'improved' REDEX 'trial' will now run from Gungahlin Town Centre, to Mitchell, Dickson and Civic along Northbourne Avenue, then Barton and Kingston terminating at the Kingston Railway Station. The return route is the same, just in reverse. The service aims to offer a frequency of 15 minutes in peak times.

It is disappointing that the Government and ACTION have slashed the REDEX trial to just one town centre. It is positive that they are trialling a bus express service.

There are a few things that ACTION could do to improve the success of the trial. I offered these suggestions to Mr Swift and Ms Bowler:

• ACTION need to differentiate REDEX services from regular buses. I suggested large coloured panels in the front window, which could be removed when the bus ends REDEX duty and returns to other services. These would also promote REDEX services. 
• Handling cash and providing change delays services. I suggested that REDEX services not accept cash, making REDEX a bus card only service. 
• Coordinate the proposed REDEX brochure drop, with a free ticket to be used on REDEX only. This would attract an initial boost in service ridership, which if the service proved viable, would remain. 
• Enable traffic light coordination so REDEX travels express down Northbourne and other traffic light infested roads. 

These suggestions if implemented could see the REDEX trial become a success. The 'Expresso' services seem to be popular as they do the things that people need public transport to do - offer reliable, attractive and frequent service to the places people want to go. REDEX, if implemented and promoted properly could boost public transport patronage in a similar fashion.

How can this trial fail ?

• Two weeks out from the beginning of the service there are no timetables, routes or maps on ACTIONS website.
  
• Only one bus will run every 15 minutes from Gungahlin town centre. If this bus reaches capacity, it will sail past people waiting at the special REDEX stops (a sign on a pole) and the person will have to wait for another bus.
  
• The REDEX trial will use regular buses, not the new high capacity steerable rear axle buses.
  
• There is no differentiation between a REDEX and regular service bus. No paint colour, sticker, nothing. Just the number in the bus route display window.
  
• REDEX buses will travel on the same roads as Joe Commuter in his Camry. Stop at the same traffic lights and be delayed by the same road congestion. 

Essentially, ACTION are adopting elements of Bus Rapid Transit and grafting them to the ACTION tree. Other elements, those that cost money, are not being adopted. As I have said before - a sign on a pole is not transport infrastructure.

I am hopeful that this REDEX trial will be successful, but hope is not a business plan - REDEX needs to be funded, staffed and promoted properly by ACTION and government. It needs to use buses with increased capacity and provide a point of difference between REDEX and regular buses. Do this properly and attract regular increased patronage, and the need for increased road construction and increased parking spaces will alleviate.

The first step in creating a sustainable transport system is providing a functional transport system.

Electric Vehicle Festival 2009

The Canberra branch of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association organised a very successful display of past, present and future technology associated with electric vehicles on Sunday 4 October 2009, on the lawns of Old Parliament House in Canberra. Being a car nut I would have gone anyway, but in my role as Chair of the ACT Light Rail Coalition, a public transport lobby group, I was manning a stall promoting light rail in the Capital region. This meant that I spent most of the day handing out leaflets and saying ‘yes’ a thousand times when asked if I really thought light rail would be built in Canberra.

There was an eclectic mix of people with an association with electric vehicles. This ranged from a gentleman who imported a Tesla, with plans to sell them locally, to homebuilt electric cars converted from internal combustion engined cars, brand new hybrids from Toyota and Honda, some vintage electric cars, and electric bicycles. There was even a Segway – and a homebuilt Segway replica. The full spectrum of the electric automotive world.

The crowds were quite strong all day. Although I was inside a tent talking up light rail for Canberra most of the time, when I did escape to wander it was obvious that several thousand Canberrans had come out to look at electric vehicles. I saw several local politicians and the media covered the event as well, although just film footage as the journos don’t work weekends in Canberra.

Homebuilts

The homebuilt converted cars were fascinating. They were all ‘small’ cars and the conversions looked very neat. I was impressed with the Daihatsu that had a generator hanging on a sled at the rear of the car. This car was driven from Melbourne to Canberra, so it makes sense that a battery charging solution was required.

The engineering on these cars was outstanding. I was impressed that clear plastic was placed across the engine bays on some of them. The voltage and amps required to run the cars is significant – and dangerous. 

I find it fascinating that instead of waiting for mainstream car companies to deliver electric cars, some people are creating their own solutions. Electric hot rods.

One of the other things that impresses me about electric cars is the lack of moving parts. By removing the heavy metal engine and replacing it with much lighter components, and far fewer of them, significant weight savings are made. This makes it easier for the electric engine to move a lighter load. It was interesting to compare the simplicity of the converted electric cars, to the complexity of the commercially sold hybrids.

Segway

There are very few Segways in Canberra, I believe there are regulations restricting their use on public streets. This hasn’t stopped one person making a homebuilt Segway. I wonder what it’s called.

Bikes

This is a growing segment of the bike market. Most of the electric bikes on display were commercially manufactured, with a few modified from non-electric with a conversion kit. A conversion kit was on sale at around $900. When you factor in parking at around $35 a week in Canberra, this would pay for itself if you lived 10-15 km from your work place. I often see a rather tubby gent on an electric scooter zipping along William Slim Drive coming from Belconnen and heading towards Gungahlin, so I imagine the batteries are good enough for a 10-15 km round trip.

Tesla

This is an impressive car. A private import, it is on a permit that does not allow driving on public roads or registration. A problem with ADR’s I believe. This car was the hit of the day, and was closely investigated by everyone who visited the EV festival.

Tesla engine bay

Interior (note left hand drive)

Tesla trunk/storage area/battery.

Tesla extension cord

With the road closed to the public, the Tesla made a few runs and it certainly had impressive acceleration. These runs were very popular as well.

Goy Motor Company

David Goy has a dream - to build an electric sports car in Australia. He has been working on this design for three years and is seeking capital to build a prototype. The car is impressively rendered, and looks great. It is a slightly cooler looking Australian version of the Tesla concept.

Although I have my doubts that the Australian market can support a dedicated electric sports car, the Goy Motor Company certainly present a compelling product. I would like to see the technology and design focus placed on a four door car and a commercial vehicle, as that is what would make his company profitable, but you cant deny how cool looking the sports car is.

As David and Anya manned the stall next the Light Rail table, I chatted to them several times during the day. He has an engineering background and boundless enthusiasm. I believe he will get his car built.

Prius/Lexus/Honda

The commercially available hybrids were on show and actively marketed by sales people during the day. As the link between internal combustion engine vehicles and what comes next, hybrids work very well in solving the big problem with electric vehicles – battery power limiting vehicle range. As an engineering solution it is neat, using the advantages of both technologies to limit the disadvantages of both technologies. Hybrid technology can only get better. When I was in the states a few months back, I saw many hybrid taxis in New York. 

Better Place

Another engineering solution to tackle the range issue is the Better Place model. Better Place proposes building a network of recharging and battery exchange stations. These are the equivalent of today’s petrol stations. This would mean that the gent that drove his electric Daihatsu from Melbourne would not need to have a generator on board; he could drive into a Better Place station and exchange his depleted battery pack for a fully charged pack. 

This seems like a good idea if the car is designed to have quick changeover battery packs. I would be concerned if the technology became proprietary requiring the use of a specific type of battery pack. The disadvantage here is that the electric vehicle industry may lock itself into a technology that is difficult to upgrade or evolve. Of course industry standards also bring advantages, knowing you can drive from Sydney to Melbourne without waiting 8 hours to recharge your batteries several times along the way could make the trade-off acceptable.

I discussed the proposed business model with Ben Keneally, from Better Place. The model would certainly work if you managed fleets of vehicles, and apparently the ACT Government has signed an agreement with Better Place and recharging points will be installed in the ACT.

Vintage Cars

Two amazing cars were on display - Detroit Electric cars from 1914 and 1917. These were registered and running, and gave some demonstration runs on the closed road. They attracted a great deal of interest from the crowds.

Imagine if the same level of technological refinement had occurred on electric cars over the last 100 years, that has been applied to internal combustion engined cars.

Light rail promotion

I attended the EV Festival representing ACT Light Rail, a public transport-lobbying group. Also manning the stall were Jon Reynolds and Ian Ruecroft. A few of the committee members did pop in during the day to say hello. We had maps of the ACT Governments proposed rapid routes, and brochures with information on light rail for the Capital region.

We also had a poster of a proposed light rail vehicle, designed by Ivo Ostyn of Strine Design . We received a very positive reaction from almost everyone who stopped to look at our material and talk to us.

Of the several thousand people that stopped by our stall, there were probably only three or four naysayers. Most people asked us if we thought we could actually achieve our aim. Overwhelmingly people were very supportive of light rail as a public transport alternative to buses in Canberra. By 3.30 we had exhausted our supply of brochures.

I enjoyed the EV Festival, and it was a very good way to promote electric vehicles and sustainable transport. I am glad that ACT Light Rail was associated with the event, and thank the organisers for inviting us to attend. We will be there next year.