Industries collaborate to promote public transport

By Jennifer Perry

The Australasian Railway Association (ARA), together with the Bus Industry Confederation (BIC) and International Association of Public Transport (UITP) have collaborated to develop a national land-transport policy entitled Moving People – Solutions for a Growing Australia. This public transport advocacy document will be launched at Parliament House Canberra on March 10.
“This is the first time that the combined land public transport sector has taken the lead in presenting government with a joint-mode significant academic research report and a clear plan for action,” ARA director government relations Phil Sochon said, adding that the ARA’s alliance with the BIC and UITP will create a “very significant advocacy impact”.
“Moving people – Solutions for a Growing Australia is a comprehensive policy document that outlines a very clear set of achievable transport initiatives that need to be adopted by all three levels of government to promote and improve passenger transport in Australia,” Sochon said.
ARA, BIC and the UITP will be jointly advocating to all governments to adopt the key strategies contained in the policy to achieve the kind of transformation that is needed in public transport in Australia.
“Australians may not realise the great significance of decades of failure to adequately fund public transport in Australia. This has seriously impacted the nation and has implications for the federal, state and local governments alike,” he said.
Facts such as an annual congestion cost of $10bn; an annual road toll of 1450 deaths and 30,000 serious injuries that cost nearly $10bn in fatality costs alone; and 500 early deaths per year due to motor vehicle air pollution just in the Sydney region are powerful motivators for governments to get the message that Australia needs urgent action to significantly increase the levels of public transport usage across the nation. 
The Moving people – Solutions for a Growing Australia policy is based on a major report jointly commissioned by the BIC, UITP and ARA, and co-authored by Professor John Stanley of Sydney University and Simon Barrett from LEK consulting.
The report identified five key issues for public transport in Australia: congestion management; environmental improvement; social inclusion; health and safety; and energy security.
“The policy has identified a range of pragmatic and implementable actions to address these underlying issues that must be tackled in order to improve public land transport in Australia,” Sochon said.
“This in turn means that all levels of government, led by the Commonwealth, need to develop a joint government national plan of action for public transport . The ARA-BIC-UITP land-transport policy provides the raw material for this plan.”
Both the rail and bus industries see it as vital that all three tiers of government work together to tackle the major common public transport issues in a coordinated and strategic manner, Sochon said.
However, industry believes this will only happen if the Federal Government takes a major coordinating role.
“This is a critical issue – the Federal Government has a role and it’s not just about providing money,” he said.
“The Commonwealth needs to set a policy agenda to align with long -erm outcomes, to guide policy and set plans of action with the states and local government.
“Further, it needs to continue progress on strategic outcomes and direct funding for major projects that will transform transport systems.”
Sochon also stressed that the policy document is about “transport outcomes rather than transport mode-specific agendas”.
“That is, achieving the overall public transport benefit for Australia as opposed to helping rail or bus specifically," he said.
In the coming months, the ARA, BIC and UITP will be meeting with the Commonwealth and State transport ministers to promote the adoption of this vital strategic approach to enhancing public transport in Australia.
The full report and associated advocacy material will be available on the ARA website from 10 March: www.ara.net.au