Integrated Transport Plan

2. Rationale

Within the transport sector, the solution is not only to electrify all private cars, but to greatly reduce our dependence on private cars. This dependency is a great source of inequality, congestion, noise, and particulate emissions. It requires continual expenditure on road infrastructure and parking facilities. An integrated public transport system that makes use of a much improved and regular fixed route service, along with extensive active transport options, professional car-pooling and on-demand services for home to node, would tick boxes in health, climate, opportunities in health education and the workplace and lead to more liveable townships and a healthier and more prosperous population.

Six challenges have been identified with the current transport ‘system’ in the Huon Valley which need to be addressed in the final document. These six challenges are listed below:

2.1. Planning and Monitoring

The importance of planning for transport was recognized in the Southern Integrated Transport Plan 2010. While there has been very limited progress in implementing the plan the key focus (stated below) is still relevant:

“We also need to take a system-wide, multi-modal approach, moving beyond the discrete planning of individual modes and parts of the network in isolation. 

We need to use our existing infrastructure and services more efficiently, through the use of technology and innovation, demand management and land use planning measures, rather than focusing too heavily on infrastructure solutions.”

Since the 2010 Transport Plan was released, 98% of journeys are still by private vehicle and land developments have proceeded without meaningful consideration of transport implications. We need an updated Transport Plan within a management structure that ensures it will be activated and monitored while including community engagement. 

2.2 Electrification

It is estimated that transport represents 30%  of the total emissions in the Huon Valley and  needs to be reduced. This is largely due to the reliance on using private internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Additionally, ICE vehicles  carry a price and supply risk due to low petrol reserves . The  Huon Valley is particularly exposed to these risks since it is at the end a long fuel supply chain. 

2.3 Improving Efficiency

Current transport practices are both resource-intensive and wasteful. We believe that transport can be more efficient. 

2.4 Reducing Travel Costs

Transport is comparatively expensive for residents. According to ABS data , people spend on average $8,000 per vehicle per year. Transport availability needs to be improved to make it more affordable to all people in the Valley.

2.5 Improving Accessibility

There are sections of the community which lack mobility, particularly young people, the elderly and those on low incomes. Some areas of the Valley are poorly or not served by public transport such as Judbury and Mountain River.

2.6 Reducing Congestion

Congestion in Hobart, townships in the Valley and main roads has become a significant problem in recent years and a more coherent approach to transport could alleviate it.

In the longer term consideration also needs to be given to predictions by the NRMA about likely changing patterns of car ownership and the move to fully autonomous vehicles.

3. What Needs to Happen?

There are numerous ways in which transport will need to change in the Huon Valley so it can meet the social, economic and environmental challenges we are now facing. It starts with establishing a structure capable of delivering the community vision, then looking at how existing modes of transport need to be reengineered and reconfigured, and lastly deciding what new forms of transport will be required.

The main thrust of the Huon Valley Transport Plan is to reduce our dependency on private car usage, shifting to higher occupancy public and private transport, and more active transport. 

Public transport provision on the main trunk route running along the Huon Highway from south of Dover to Hobart needs to be improved in terms of reduced costs for travel, greater frequency anperational times, proper interchanges and passenger convenience. Connections to the main trunk route need to be improved through a mix of carpooling, community transport, taxis, and uber and shared cycle/footpaths. Transport emission savings can be achieved by switching from ICE based vehicles to electric. It is recognized that physically this will not all happen straight away but it is important that as a matter of urgency there is a major shift in thinking so that change can be properly planned, financed and supported by the community.

Below are the main elements that Circular Economy Huon anticipates will be required to deliver the Huon Valley Transport Plan. 

3.1 Organisation of Transport in the Huon Valley

The Huon Valley falls largely outside the Greater Hobart region and consequently has missed out on attention and funding to improve transport from both Federal and State Governments, although some attention has been directed at projects to fix specific problems with  roads rather than considering passenger and freight transport needs. 

Recommendation 1

Form a Huon Valley Transport Working Group to design and promote better transport practices in the Huon Valley for the future. The working group would include representation from the Tasmanian Government, Huon Valley Council, aged and young representatives, the general community, industry, RACT and UTAS.  It would be chaired by a Huon Valley resident of standing. One of the first functions of the working group would be to draw up a prioritised strategic plan for transportation over the next 10 years and agree on a basic level access and mobility. 

3.2 Bring Transport Considerations into Planning Decisions

The need for a close link between land use planning and transport is well documented but seemingly not followed in the Huon Valley. As subdivision and development applications are made to the municipality, transport implications need to be considered. Many streets will become crowded with cars unless we encourage more active, public and community transport, and incentivise high occupancy vehicle usage.

Recommendation 2

All development proposals for new buildings, change of use to existing buildings and new subdivisions need to have a transport implication statement with recommendations for appropriate solutions so as to avoid adding to congestion and increasing emissions. If this requires changes to state planning legislation then the HVTB will consult and lobby the state government bureaucracy and the politicians as needed. If local township populations grow, appropriate services and amenities need to be installed to save residents being required to travel unnecessarily.

3.3 Increase Passenger Vehicle Load Factors

One of the major barriers to better transport outcomes in the Huon Valley is that there are too many trips being made in vehicles with low passenger numbers. This is costly in terms of fuel and vehicle usage. It is also the reason why transport is responsible for 30% of green-house gas emissions in the municipality.

3.3.1 Fast Lanes

In many jurisdictions, lanes are set aside for high occupancy vehicles such as buses and shared cars to travel on less crowded roads as their vehicles carry more people and reduce the total number of vehicles on roads.

Recommendation 3 

Negotiate with State Growth for all designated High Occupancy Vehicles to be able to use ‘fast lanes’ on busy roads and particularly the Southern Outlet.

3.3.2 Public Transport

Encouraging more people to shift from private car usage to public or shared transport is extremely important to reduce congestion and lower emissions. There is a range of measures which can be taken to encourage this move.

Recommendation 4

• Introduce fare reductions, particularly from the further regions of the Valley, and run a marketing campaign to increase patronage.

• As bus patronage increases, provide additional services to improve frequencyand span of time when public transport operates. 

• Provide electronic information in real time for bus arrival times at bus stops.

• Identify and commit funding to  infrastructure such as – proper bus shelters with facilities, safe approaches for pedestrians, and adequate parking to accommodate park and ride.

• Make private vehicle insurance and registration proportional to distance travelled.

• Assess the benefits of an e toll on entry to Hobart for vehicles during peak times. 

• Improve the attractiveness of public transport compared to car use in new land releases by ensuring the design and construction sequencing of road networks to enable direct, frequent and efficient bus routes and services between separate subdivisions.  

3.3.3 Community Transport and Area Connect

In some areas of Tasmania CTST and Area Connect have established regular, though not necessarily frequent, services in less populated areas.

Recommendation 5

• Investigate demand and then implement routes to the west of Huonville through Lonnavale, Judbury and Glen Huon as appropriate.

• Investigate if the greater eastern linkage is required from Huonville through Cygnet to the Channel Highway at Snug and then implement.

3.3.4 School Buses

There is an extensive network of school bus services taking children and young adults to educational institutions in the Valley and other routes on to Kingston and Hobart. This is an important service but it is timely to consider how this network could provide greater mobility to others in the community.

Recommendation 6

• Conduct a review of school bus services in the municipality to assess high and low occupancy based on the size of the vehicle with particular reference to student safety and excess emissions.

• Concurrently investigate what is required to encourage non-student members of the community to travel on student buses and then implement as appropriate.

• Investigate ways of removing regulatory obstacles to the use of school buses outside school pickup times, as they currently sit empty between 9:00-2:00 each day.

3.3.5 Carpooling

Carpooling is a way of reducing vehicle numbers and emissions while building social connection and improving mobility. Some small, comparatively informal systems are happening in Tasmania, but elsewhere in the world carpooling has been adopted as a way of transporting hundreds of thousands of people every day. There are many benefits to the Huon Valley and Tasmania if an appropriate system is introduced here.

Recommendation 7

• Research existing carpooling schemes both in Australia and overseas to find the most appropriate scheme or amalgam of schemes for adopting in Tasmania.

• Collaborate and establish partnerships to establish and promote carpooling with Government Departments such as Health and Education, local governments, and businesses both within and beyond the Valley.

• Encourage neighborhood car rentals and ownership co-ops to help reduce the need for residents to own cars and trucks.

3.4 Managing the Shift to Electric Vehicles (EVs)

Australia is lagging behind many other countries in the shift from ‘internal combustion engines’ (ICE) vehicles to EVs. However the move to electric is an important way to reduce GHG and Tasmania is ideally placed to use its clean energy locally before exporting to mainland Australia.

Recommendation 8

• Consult widely with government agencies, the full business sector and  individuals to determine the additional locations required for a comprehensive charging network and the number and types of chargers needed.

• Assess the needs of specific sectors of the community and decide what assistance is required.

• Lobby Federal Government to reduce tax on new EVs as adopted by many overseas countries.

3.5. Active Transport

Community health is improved if more people walk, cycle or exercise to move around. While this is comparatively easy in urban areas it is often much harder in rural or semi-rural locations.

Recommendation 9

• Establish active walking networks in all towns to encourage walking, cycling,  dog walking etc for general use such as visiting friends, shopping and going to a café or pub.

• Investigate and implement how the waterways in the municipality could be made easier for water craft to be used both for recreation and as a means of transport. Eg provide mooring or hard standing for craft in Huonville and in other relevant spot along the Huon River.

• Provide an improved and safer active travel experience ahead of the completion of active travel infrastructure improvements by reducing the speed limit on local roads that are identified as links in cycling and micromobility networks, where the existing speed limit is greater than 40 km/h. 

3.6 Freight

A good parcel and freight service can reduce the number of trips residents need to make in the Valley and further afield. There are several companies currently offering services for most types of freight to Huon residents.

Recommendation 10

• Publicise and share information about the various companies offering freight services in the Valley on one convenient website.

• Examine if there are any gaps in the service and communicate with the existing companies.

3.7 Innovation

It would be foolish to assume there are no other possibilities for improving transport other than those listed above! The plan must be open to new ideas so it can develop in the immediate and mid-term future.

Recommendation 11

• Encourage new transport concepts, investigate their potential and consider how/if they could be beneficial for the Huon Valley

• Policies and opportunities which reduce the need to travel should receive equal consideration to measures that increase mobility, such as enhanced online service provision, telehealth and tele-prescription services, additional local service provision (e.g. x-ray and ultra-sound facilities available in Huonville rather than being no closer than Kingston), etc.

4. Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the following organisations and individuals who have helped with data, critical review and discussion.

• State Growth, Passenger Transport Branch, Babette Moate and team

• RACT, General Manager and team

• Australian Electric Vehicle Association, Tasmania, Clive Atwater

• TassieLink, CEO, Shane Dewsbury

• Area Connect, CEO, Lyndon Steveneson

• Huon Youth Committee

• Susan Perry, President, Pensioner Association Tasmania Inc

• Dr Paula Swatman, chair of the Huon Valley Transport Health Action Working Group  (2015-19)

• Cathy Temby, Huon Pride Together

5. References

1.    Southern Integrated Transport Plan (2010)
https://www.transport.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/112468/DIER_Southern_Integrated_Transport_Plan_2010.pdf

2.   Outer Urban Public Transport (2018)
https://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-07/outer-urban-public-transport_web_fa_low_res.pdf

3.   Huon Valley Transport Access Survey Results 2018

4.  Huon Valley Council – Climate Change Strategy – Mitigation
https://huonvalleycouncil-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/hvc_huonvalley_tas_gov_au/EZER7s9HxMhApZpFdiMgJPQB7GB_IHeHCmVk6f6BxbTK0g?e=WIdlCY

5.   Electric Vehicle in Tasmania - Current State of Play
http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/369836/Electric_Vehicles_In_Tasmania_-_Current_State_of_Play_2018.pdf

6.   Congestion in Greater Hobart - Response to Issues
https://www.transport.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/110644/Greater_Hobart_Congestion_full_report.pdf

7.   2019 Local Government Roads and Transport Agenda
https://cdn.alga.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/ALGA-2019-Local-Government-Roads-and-Transport-Agenda.pdf

8.   Huon Valley Transport Survey Results

9.   On Demand Services Bring Public Transport to the Suburbs
https://theconversation.com/1-million-rides-and-counting-on-demand-services-bring-public-transport-to-the-suburbs-132355

10.  Legislative Council Select Committee - Greater Hobart Traffic Congestion Submissions

a.   Huon Valley Residents and Ratepayers Association
https://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/ctee/Council/Submissions/GHT/26%20Huon%20Valley%20Residents%20&%20Ratepayers%20Association%20Inc.pdf

b.   Circular Economy Huon
https://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/ctee/Council/Submissions/GHT/32%20Circular%20Economy%20Huon.pdf

c.   TasBus
https://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/ctee/Council/Submissions/GHT/28%20TasBus.pdf 

11.  The Future of Car Ownership (2017) NRMA

https://www.mynrma.com.au/-/media/documents/reports-and-subs/the-future-of-car-ownership.pdf?la=en

12.  Project 2018 - Public Bus Transport Network Purchasing Principles and Design Approach
https://www.transport.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/142683/Network_Design_Principles.pdf

13.  Fact check: Does Australia Have 3 Weeks of Petrol in Reserve?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-23/fact-check-jim-molan-fuel-security/9687606

14.  CEH Analysis of ABS Data
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14ZqjtnBHiyhHi6Wt7kVst7z2Xqv_nErH1XKeFLuKi6w/edit?usp=sharing

15.  Infrastructure Plan 2021 -  Infrastructure Australia
https://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/publications/2021-australian-infrastructure-plan

Visit Circular Economy Huon website for other transport related reports and links to webpages.

Appendix A. Privately Owned Vehicles

The Huon Valley has a relatively high rate of vehicle ownership. The 2016 ABS Census shows that there were 10,053 vehicles in the Huon Valley for a population of people aged 20+ of 12,353 making a vehicle ownership pattern of 0.81 cars per adult. This compares with Tasmania over all of an ownership of 0.774 and for Australia of 0.758 vehicles per adult.

Appendix B. Public Transport

Overview
All public transport in the Huon is run by Tassielink. The bus routes go to and from Hobart starting/finishing at Dover, Geeveston, Huonville, Ranelagh or Cygnet. En route the buses can stop/pick up at Grove, Lower Longley, Sandfly, and Kingston

Frequency
There are 16 services that go through Huonville both ways on weekdays and 6 on weekends. Cygnet, Dover and Ranelagh each have three services during the week and there are 2 services at the weekend for Cygnet and Dover but none for Ranelagh. Geeveston has a total of 8 services to and from Hobart during the week and 4 at the weekend. There are 6 services from Kingston to Hobart College on school days and 8 returning.

Fares
The full fare from Huonville to Hobart is $10.40, and for Doverqew $21, Geeveston $13.70 and Cygnet $11.00. Concession fares (available on the basis of age, health and disadvantage) are half the full fare. Greencard holders have a 20% discount on full fares. Fare details can be complex and further details can be obtained by consulting: www.transport.tas.gov.au

Buses and drivers
Most of the buses are fairly new and some now have recharging points for phones. Seats are comfortable – although a little short on leg room. At peak times buses can be crowded. Most drivers are friendly, courteous and helpful.

Deficiencies

Routes:
Public transport is based on trunk routes – mainly the Huon Highway. People living to the west of Huonville in say Glenhuon, Judbury and Lonnavale have no services. Residents to the east in Pelverata, Cradoc and Cygnet have only a limited frequency of buses. There is no public transport service that links across to the Channel except by going via Kingston – which is long and inconvenient.

Frequency:
The frequency of buses through Huonville is mostly very good. There are a few holes in the service during the day and the last trips either way are time restrictive. The service from Dover and Cygnet is limited and arranging a trip both ways can be very difficult thus reducing patronage. 

Fares:
The full fare for travelling to and from Huonville and points south are high, even when using a Greencard. A full return from Dover is $42 whereas a return trip with a fuel efficient car will cost around $10-12. High priced fares are negatively impacting the adoption of public transport.

Electronics:
While buses are usually close to time it would be good to have advice available if buses are running late with their ETA.

Ticketing support:
It would be good to have an outlet where Greencards can be bought in the Huon.

Infrastructure:
It is interesting to reflect that at the time when transport was reliant on coach and horse, inns were located at major intersections! Many bus stops now are just a post in the ground, bus shelters are open to the elements, and there are often inadequate footpaths and crossing points for safety. This is an area  where there could be considerable improvements.

For further information about public transport and the Huon: www.tassielink.com.au

Appendix C. School Buses and Routes

The School bus routes in the table below are managed through the Department of State Growth. They estimate that most buses have a load factor of 80% plus. While State Growth were unable to state how much money is currently being spent on school buses in the Huon Valley in 2021, a figure of $900,00 was provided for services to Cygnet schools in 2010.

Appendix D. Vehicles in ‘Public’ Ownership

There are a number of government and not for profit organisations that operate buses and other vehicles in the Huon Valley.

D.1 Schools and training institutions -   Source: telephone survey December 2020