Australian Transport Statistics Yearbook 2007
Australian Transport Statistics provides a short summary of a diverse range of transport statistics. Topics include employment, GDP, passenger and freight movements, trade, funding, motor vehicles, fatalities and estimated greenhouse gas emissions attributed to the transport industry. Information is provided for the road, rail, maritime and aviation sectors. Data are gathered from various sources both within BTRE and external organisations.
- Australian Transport Statistics Yearbook 2007
- Australian Transport Statistics Yearbook 2007–Spreadsheets
National Workshop on Urban Transport Modelling
In order to maximise the value of urban transport modelling as a tool for improving urban congestion interventions, a National Workshop on Urban Transport Modelling was held in Canberra on 5 March 2008. It was co-convened by the Urban Congestion Management Working Group and the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics.The workshop brought together nearly 60 participants, including urban transport modellers, decision-makers, research bodies and transport and planning agencies.
The initiative to organise a national workshop on urban transport modelling derives from COAG's consideration of the Urban Congestion Review in April 2007. COAG tasked the Australian Transport Council of Ministers (ATC) with establishing arrangements to improve urban congestion data, modelling and performance information for decision-making and to report back to COAG by June 2008.ATC subsequently asked the Standing Committee on Transport (SCOT), through the SCOT Urban Congestion Management Working Group, to progress this agenda. The proposal for a national urban transport modelling workshop was one ofa small number of actions endorsed by SCOT to assist in developing improving information for urban congestion decision-making.
Presentations
The morning consisted of a series of papers presented by experts in six key urban congestion management intervention areas. Keynote papers were also given by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Secretary, Michael Taylor AO, and Professor David Hensher. The afternoon consisted of a series of small group workshops to propose a number of possible future action areas.
Presentations in the morning sessions were as follows:
- Professor David Hensher, Keynote Address, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, Faculty of Economics and Business, The University of Sydney
- Rod Tudge, Traffic Management and Microsimulation, Traffic and Transport Modelling, Roads and Traffic Authority, New South Wales
- Lindsay Oxlad, Road Pricing, Road Transport Policy and Investment, Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure, South Australia
- Professor Graham Currie, Public Transport, Public Transport, Civil Engineering, Monash University
- Associate Professor Geoff Rose, Passenger Travel Demand Management, Institute of Transport Studies, Civil Engineering, Monash University
- Fotios Spiridonos, Freight and Business Sector Transport and Victoria's Freight Movement Model (VicFMM), Transport Modelling and Analysis Policy, Intergovernmental Relations Division, Department of Infrastructure, Victoria
- Frank Milthorpe, Integrated Transport and Land Use, Transport Model Development, Transport Data Centre, Ministry of Transport, New South Wales
Please see below for links to presentation slides and photos of the day.
Outcomes
The workshop recognised that modelling is capable of informing urban congestion management interventions but that currently policy and modelling are not well coordinated. Improvements need to be made for policy makers and modellers to work collaboratively in framing appropriate urban congestion management questions. The socio-economic impact of urban congestion interventions, for example, is an area which needs to be better modelled and understood.
The following five key areas summarise the proposed areas which received most support for further action:
- Time of travel and behaviour shifts (i.e. how people make travel decisions) are not adequately modelled: New models need to be developed for peak spreading/time of day choice. Current models often exaggerate modal shift, compared to changing time of travel.
- Socio-economic impacts of various interventions are not modelled to an adequate level: For example the distributional impacts of road pricing on different socio-economic groups; willingness to pay; ability to pay and access to alternatives, need to be captured.
- Freight/Light Commercial Vehicles: A cost-effective way of getting data for freight and business sector transport modelling needs to be found. The establishment of a Freight Movement Working Group to develop and implement a better data framework for freight and business sector transport was recommended.
- Reliability modelling: Better modelling is needed to assess the role reliability plays in mode choice and how reliability affects patronage, compared to other aspects of travel choice.
- Collaboration to improve methodologies: There has been a lack of communication and collaboration between agencies, academics and decision makers and this makes maximising the uses of modelling for national urban congestion strategy difficult. Informal networks need to be strengthened and 'best Australian practice' needs to be documented. A clearing house for modelling resources needs to be established.
- David Hensher
- Rod Tudge
- Graham Currie
- Geoff Rose
- Fotios Spiridonos
- Frank Milthorpe
- Photos from the workshop
Submission to ACCC on impact of location on grocery prices and availability in regional Australia
BITRE's upcoming comprehensive publication will provide a more detailed analysis of the factors that impact on the full range of living costs across Australia. This submission includes some preliminary conclusions from the analysis of data on grocery prices collected for the main study.
The study confirms the view that grocery store prices vary widely across locations. It also finds the presence of a major chain in a town is a practical indicator of the price level of groceries in non-metropolitan centres. The major chain stores are more prevalent in larger population centres.
- Submission to ACCC on impact of location on grocery prices and availability in regional Australia
About Australia's Regions 2008
This booklet provides an accessible introduction to social, economic and environmental statistics for Australia's regions. Information is presented under the following broad themes: population; society; regional economies; housing; transport and communications; education and health; and environmental issues.
- About Australia's Regions 2008
Australian Transport Statistics 2008—pocket booklet
Australian Transport Statistics provides a short summary of a diverse range of transport statistics. Topics include employment, GDP, passenger and freight movements, trade, funding, motor vehicles, fatalities and estimated greenhouse gas emissions attributed to the transport industry.
- Australian Transport Statistics 2008–pocket booklet
Improving urban congestion information for decision making: report to COAG from the Australian Transport Council
In April 2007, COAG considered the Urban Congestion Review it had commissioned in February 2006, and tasked the Australian Transport Council (ATC) with establishing arrangements to improve urban congestion data, modelling and performance information for decision-making. The following document, 'Improving Urban Congestion Information for Decision-Making', is a progress report to COAG of mid-2008. At its 7 November 2008 meeting, ATC noted further progress with implementing agreed approaches, including establishing a National Transport Modelling Working Group, progressing improved consistency between road-based and public transport congestion indicators, a survey of business sector travel, and analyses of specific congestion initiatives.
- Improving urban congestion information for decision making: report to COAG from the Australian Transport Council
Regional economic growth database update 2005–06
This update of BITRE's regional economic growth database incorporates new data for the 2005–06 financial year, and brings the database in line with the 2006 ABS Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) boundaries. The accompanying paper includes some descriptive analysis on economic growth since 2004–05.The database contains more than 25 years of small-area level taxable income data. Changes in a region's total taxable income can be used as an indicator of economic growth. The database also provides data on the number of taxpayers and the average amount earned by each taxpayer in a region.The 2007 update was based on 2001 ASGC boundaries, which may be of use to those seeking data based on this geography. To access the older database and its accompanying maps and analysis, visit Regional economic growth–BITRE's taxable income database.
- Regional economic growth in Australia 2004–05 to 2005–06
- Notes on method: the BITRE's economic growth (taxable income) database, update to 2005–06
- BITRE economic growth database update 2008
Seminar: The future isn't what it used to be—how technology and society will change the face of urban transport 7 April 2009
Transport planner Todd Litman will be in Canberra to share his insights into the changing face of transport. Todd is director and founder of Canada's Victoria Transport Policy Institute and is the author of the Transportation Demand Management Encyclopaedia. Todd presents his case for public transport-friendly cities. He argues that a number of economic, social and technological patterns are emerging that will change and diversify travel demand, weakening the dominance of the motor car. These changes have fundamental implications for the way we should think about transport technology and the ways we plan our transport systems and infrastructure.
- Seminar: The future isn't what it used to be–how technology and society will change the face of urban transport 7 April 2009
Northern Australia Statistical Compendium 2009
The Northern Australia Statistical Compendium was prepared by BITRE with the assistance of the Office of Northern Australia, with the aim of compiling a base of factual information that would contribute to improved understanding of the economic and social developments in this region. The compendium discusses essential characteristics of Northern Australia and offers comparisons with the rest of Australia, wherever possible. It provides information on population, the economy, employment, social conditions, education, transport, infrastructure, climate, land use and major industries for Northern Australia as a whole and for the regions within it.
Note: hard copies are not currently available but will be available soon.
- Northern Australia Statistical Compendium 2009–complete report
- Foreword and executive summary
- Chapter 1 Introduction
- Chapter 2 Population
- Chapter 3 Economic activity
- Chapter 4 Workforce
- Chapter 5 Day-to-day living
- Chapter 6 Transport
- Chapter 7 Infrastructure
- Chapter 8 Natural resources
- Chapter 9 Main industries
- Appendix
- Abbreviations and references
- Northern Australia Statistical Compendium Data
Urban Congestion Working Group: Australian Capital City Congestion Management Case Studies
This document presents a number of case studies by Australian jurisdictions on interventions they have undertaken to alleviate urban congestion pressures across their transport systems. Good congestion interventions can lead to significant improvements in congestion management and economic, environmental and social savings.
- Urban Congestion Working Group: Australian Capital City Congestion Management Case Studies