By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
REAL-TIME timetables for buses and trains matched to urban transport hubs have been proposed as part of a regional transport vision.
Consultant AECOM’s $100,000 study for councils alliance body G21 also flagged studies into reserving a public transport corridor to Torquay and restoring rail services to Drysdale.
G21 deputy chair Jason Trethowan said the ability for public transport users to know when a bus or train would actually arrive would “be fantastic”.
“Timetables are intended to be observed but we accept they’re not always 100 per cent on time,” Mr Trethowan said.
“As we get more visitors coming to region and we encourage people who aren’t used to catching public transport, people need real-time information.”
Mr Trethowan said the information could be available through a smart phone app.
“With location services you can track where a bus or train is to see when it will actually arrive.”
The study also suggested more transport hubs, particularly in major regional towns and at urban interchanges.
“This is a growing region and the vision is to provide amenity in areas where businesses are operating and where population is increasing,” Mr Trethowan said.
“Creating interchanges at strategic locations like railway stations and Avalon Airport will make it quicker to get around the region and to Melbourne to reduce bottlenecks.”
Extending public transport to Drysdale and Torquay was an “aspirational” part of long-term planning, Mr Trethowan said.
The region needed to develop an “appetite” for public transport, he said.
“The car should become a last resort.”
