Travel in Canberra
Canberrans make over a million trips a day and the main way we travel is by car, either as driver or passenger. But many people walk and use public transport and we have higher proportions of trips made by cycling compared to other Australian cities. When we consider that Canberra has the highest level of cycling in Australia, we can be proud of our clean, green credentials. Nonetheless, looking to the future, if we are to manage the long-term growth in demand for travel in Canberra the choice we have is clear.
If we attempt to meet that demand with the same mode share pattern as we currently we have, we will see an almost doubling of congestion. If we proactively invest for our future, to encourage those new trips to be made by walking, cycling and public transport, we will be able to maintain our status as a liveable and convenient city to live in and visit.
The data below provide a snapshot of travel trends in Canberra, prior to COVID-19, and remain relevant as an indication of general trends in Canberra. The impact of COVID-19 and its implications for travel patterns going forward will be explored in the next section.
Canberrans travel for a variety of reasons. While work makes up for around one quarter of trips made on any given weekday, leisure trips for social and recreational purposes are also very important, as well as shopping and personal business. That’s why our transport network must cater for
a wide variety of trip purposes, not only the 9-to-5, city-to- suburb commutes. As an example, picking up/dropping off someone (usually to school) makes up a significant proportion of trip purposes. These trips usually occur during the morning peak period. When combined with trips to education, we can see how important the school run is to the functioning of our transport network. Providing viable options for children to walk, cycle and catch public transport to school and looking to travel demand management methods such as more flexible employment hours and locations will be key to managing congestion on our roads.
For more information see the Household Travel Survey.
Canberrans travel differently depending on where they live
Canberrans tend to walk, cycle and use public transport more in inner districts where distances to destinations are shorter and travel choice is greater. We tend to use private vehicle travel more in outer districts when distances are longer and travel choices can be more limited. This is a pattern seen in cities around Australia. Travel demand and modal choice is often an outcome of land uses. Mixed use developments which feature homes, jobs, shops and leisure opportunities, tend to reduce overall demand for travel and increase the uptake of sustainable transport modes. As Canberra grows
and the more compact urban form envisioned by the ACT Planning Strategy 2018 is implemented, walking, cycling and public transport will become the natural choice for more Canberrans.
It is sometimes suggested that Canberra has a car culture, but the data shows that Canberrans embrace a wide range of transport options when they are available. For example, 22% of trips made in South Canberra on any given weekday are made by walking. Continuing to increase flexibility, by building on the modern public transport network introduced in 2019 and harnessing the opportunities of on-demand travel, especially in our outer suburbs, will offer people more choice over how they travel.
Canberrans travel differently along the life course
Canberrans’ travel differs depending on their individual needs – there is no one size fits all when it comes to transport.
We know that Canberra is evolving, the way we live now is different to how we might have lived 20 years ago and will be different 20 years into the future. This means our transport network needs to continue to evolve with us. To demonstrate how the network might evolve over the next 20 years and meet the needs of different people, we will look at Canberrans’ diverse transport needs in the following case studies.
A 22-year-old university graduate has just moved to Canberra to start their career. They live an active lifestyle and are
keen to experience all the food and entertainment Canberra has to offer. They may decide that inner north is perfect for them at this stage of life and move into an apartment. They get to work in the City either by cycling or walking from their apartment to the nearest light rail stop. They feel the location is perfect; it’s walking distance to town and city centres including shopping and dining precincts and they have reliable and convenient access to the City via the light rail for both work and play.
A young couple with a young child in day care work in the north but live in an outer suburb towards the south of Canberra in a freestanding house with a large yard. They take a rapid bus from their shops after dropping off their child at the local day care. Multiple days a week they work at home or at an office site closer to home. The family spend their weekends around the local shopping precinct and taking walks around Lake Tuggeranong. They take their car to travel across Canberra as and when needed. An outer suburb in the south as a location to raise a family feels perfect to this couple.
A middle-aged single parent, with a teenager who is involved in sports after school, works in Woden. They live in a suburb in the inner south and feel the location meets their daily needs in terms of the services they access. During school holidays they locate interstate to be closer to extended family while continuing to work and study. The teenager can cycle to school and use public transport to get to school sports. The parent enjoys cycling to the Bike and Ride facility to catch a bus to work. Access to Canberra Airport enables convenient access to family.
A retired Canberran wishes to spend more time volunteering around Canberra, seeing friends and being with their family. They have a grandson who they pick up several days a week from school located in the north. They live in a townhouse in the far north. This enables them to walk to the local shops and get to school or into the City by bus or light rail when needed.
As our lives change so do our travel preferences. Future transport in Canberra will be increasingly tailored to individual needs, to meet people where they are, rather than the other way around.
