I have often thought of the transport system, and I believe the public transport should be so good it would be an embarrassment to use a car in a major city,. The whole answer on this relies a lot on the results of an intelligent tax system as much as on any thing else. Obviously the rates etc would have to be organised to cope and added to taxes in such a way that country people were not disadvantaged. A system of free public transport properly organised would be a tremendous advantage against the traffic chaos which is very consistent and getting more disastrous in many cities. Brisbane was getting better with the trams on their own right of way, then they were scrapped.

With ONE exception, noted below, ALL public transport users should pay the FULL COST of using the system.

But, and there is a BIIIIGGGGG but, so should MOTORISTS.

An economically sustainable system would have the following features:

ALL roads except strictly local suburban or country roads should be tolled. Certainly ALL “main” roads and arterial roads should be tolled.

The toll would depend on three factors:

--TIME OF USE: If you use St. Kilda Road in Melbourne you should pay more at 8 am on Monday morning than 10 pm on Sunday evening. The amount of the toll should reflect demand at the time. (This is roughly equivalent to peak and off-peak rates for electricity usage)

--AREA of CHASSIS. The bigger the vehicle, the more real estate you occupy, the more you should pay.

--WEIGHT of VEHICLE: Heavier vehicles do more damage to the road surface.

With smart-card wireless technology this scheme is eminently feasible. In fact I would say its introduction is inevitable.

Now for the ONE AND ONLY EXCEPTION. Holders of the seniors card in Melbourne should continue to get their preferential rates.

Full disclosure. I am the possessor of such a card. However I am sure all OLO posters will recognize that this is an eminently sensible exception and that my possessing such a card in no way biases my judgment.

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=11029#184793

merv09, in theory, maybe you are right, but our trams were destroyed decades ago & the cost of rebuilding it all now would be enormous.

Besides buses have the ability to be just as efficient as trams or trains.

With the technology available today it should be possible to invent a vehicle that is a hybrid of all the above & more efficient than all of them.

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=11029#184809

stevenlmeyer, yes you are absolutely correct but we already have the perfect "user pays" taxation system. Its called fuel taxes. Doesn't matter what vehicle you are in, who's driving it, where you are going or when, the more kilometers you drive the more tax you pay.

The only problem we have is that governments on both sides of politics & all 3 levels of government have, for the last 50 or so years, been wasting vast amounts of taxes on a bewildering array of spending programs that have little or nothing to do with providing basic government services like a good road or public transport network.

The amount of drama & expense involved in collecting fares is probably more than the fares collected.

Especially when you look at how much money has been wasted on the "Go Card" system or the expensive European system it is replacing.

Translink could save a fortune by scrapping all fares and making all Brisbane's public transport FREE.

Of course public transport should be full cost recovery, with no exceptions.

I can see no reason why a checkout chick, or a pensioner, in a country town, with no public transport, should subsidise the equivalent in a large city. This is particularly so as it only really serves the city centre & the host of bureaucrats that work there.

It is an old world solution, some are attempting to drag into the modern world, they are bound to fail. It is totally unable to service working mothers, who have to get to work via a child care centre, or one or more schools.

No one should be subsidised on public transport. Welfare should be the same for all, a one stop shop. It should not favor those who live on a transport route, or those in the city where public housing is available. One payment, with no other side benefits, is the only fair system.

Now the rubbish about punishing the long suffering motorist, a real lefty cause.

I payed to build the roads, ten times over in fact, with the fuel taxes I have payed for so many years. I am entitled to access those roads at my pleasure. In fact true equity would require that buses should only access MY ROADS when there is excess space for them

If I chose to drive a large vehicle I would pay extra [in excise tax, & GST] every time i filled the thing.

I don't know a single person who chooses to drive in congestion, it is usually forced on them, often by government. The only time I do it is when I have to attend a poorly sited hospital, at a time of the hospitals choosing. I can see no reason for me to pay extra for bad planning by city centric government.

Incidentally, have you ever seen a bike in one of the bike lanes proliferating all over the place. Like bus ways, & other stupid idea, steeling the roads I have payed for.

Fomersnag,

Hasbeen

A fuel tax is not a “TIME OF USE” charge. You will never get rational road use unless you charge for the SCARCE RESOURCE which is real estate on major roads during PEAK HOUR.

I repeat, you have to charge for the SCARCE RESOURCE.

Road space on a major road at midnight is NOT a scarce resource.

Road space on a major road during peak hour IS.

LOL Hasbeen

This is the first time anyone on OLO has ever thought of me as a Leftie. "To the right of Atilla the Hun" is my usual label.

It is not Left wing politics but ECONOMIC RATIONALISM to charge for the SCARCE RESOURCE.

Once we have rational road charges in place we should do away with fuel tax.

I would suggest the best way to make public transport systems more financially viable for governments, would be to have more people using the services, and paying their way.

Now we can continue to subsidise the cost, which is a bit like a dog chasing its tail,or
We can make the alternative less attractive. In other words, punish people for non essential travel in cars, especially where there is a viable public transport option available.

Things like, congestion taxes, huge parking fee excises and tolls when entering congested areas.

Now I understand that most will hate me for suggesting this, but, we must come to the realisation that the days of a 'free ride' must come to an end as we are simply not collecting enough taxes to keep these subsidised schemes running how they are today.

Now of cause there is another option, and that is stop wasting money on wars and failed projects. We simply can no longer afford the waste.