Paper given to the 34th Australasian Transport Research Forum, 28–30 September 2011, Adelaide.Authors: David Gargett, Mark Cregan, David Cosgrove.

• The Spread of Technologies Through the Vehicle Fleet
  
  sp_004_Gargett_Cregan_Cosgrove.pdf
  (310.7 KB)

This Report is one of two that have been prepared in the BTE to review the state of knowledge in the field of alternative road vehicle technologies and to indicate the magnitude of possible benefits (the other being a report on electric cars).

• Liquefied Petroleum Gas as a Motor Vehicle Fuel
  
  report_011.pdf
  (3.66 MB)

The BTE undertook a study of the possible introduction of electric cars in Australia. The results are presented in this Report.

• Electric Cars
  
  report_013.pdf
  (7.38 MB)

This is the fourth Report by the BTE on capital investment in urban public transport. It differs from previous Reports produced in that it presents an estimate of economically warranted investment for the period 1977–78 to 1979–80 rather than an evaluation of a specific program of projects put forward by State Authorities.

• Assessment of Investment in Urban Public Transport 1977–78 to 1979–80
  
  report_018.pdf
  (2.52 MB)

Considerable disagreement exists on an appropriate system of road user charges and road investment policies. While some work in this important area of resourse allocation has been done in other countries, until recently little investigatory research has been carried out in Australia. This study considers all roads other than access roads with the essential objective being to show up the deficiencies in the cost responsibility approach to road pricing by emphasising the joint cost characteristics of roads. The approach of the study team has been to derive a reasonable set of relative road pricing strategies, given the cost of supplying the road network, based on the demand characteristics of road users.

• Road User Charges: Theories and Possibilities
  
  op_003.pdf
  (3.86 MB)

This Report presents the results of a consumer preference survey into bus design and bus service characteristics. The survey was conducted by the BTE together with the Metropolitan (Perth) Transport Trust, and consisted of two parts: household interviews carried out by the Australian Bureau of Statistics; and questionnaires distributed to travellers using the Perth suburban bus service.

• Part A: Consumer Preferences in Urban Buses and Bus Services
  
  report_022_partA.pdf
  (1.46 MB)

• Part B: Consumer Preferences in Urban Buses and Bus Services
  
  report_022_partB.pdf
  (3.17 MB)

• Part C: Consumer Preferences in Urban Buses and Bus Services
  
  report_022_partC.pdf
  (3.48 MB)

In April, 1976, the Minister for Transport, requested the Commonwealth Bureau of Roads to report on "the justification and timing for the construction of an Eastern by-pass of Launceston, including the question of whether such a bypass would warrant inclusion in the Declared National Highway System". After identifying the most desirable of a number of alternative Eastern by-pass routes, the report states that at this time there is no economic warrant for an Eastern by-pass.

• Eastern By-Pass Routes for Launceston: Evaluation
  
  report_028.pdf
  (1.33 MB)

The Bureau of Transport Economics and the former Commonwealth Bureau of Roads have examined the historical background to their work both from the point of view of precedent and legal interpretation of responsibilities of government. It is considered that this paper may provide assistance to the study of State/Commonwealth relations with special reference to roads and road transport.

• History of Commonwealth Government Legislation Relating to Roads and Road Transport 1900–1972
  
  op_008.pdf
  (1.24 MB)

This report examines the market for battery powered electric passenger vehicles suitable for use in major urban areas in Australia. A typical specification for an electric passenger vehicle has been used as the basis of the analysis. The study was commissioned following the considerable interest shown in the Electric Car Conference conducted jointly by the Bureau and the Australian Electric Vehicle Association in 1975.

• Urban Passenger Travel: The Role of the Electric Car
  
  op_012.pdf
  (6.92 MB)

A knowledge of bus maintenance costs and how they vary with bus age is of value in a number of applications. Of particular interest to BTE is the importance of bus maintenance costs to optimal bus replacement strategies. The report summarises the Aggregate Bus Maintenance Studies of six bus operators in Australian capital cities and isolates the major variables influencing both maintenance and servicing costs.

• Aggregate Bus Maintenance Costs
  
  op_013.pdf
  (2.16 MB)