The Central Goldfields Youth Council’s Community Public Transport survey was developed and run at the request of Youth Councillors in 2023, to be used as an advocacy tool for improved public transport services in the Shire.
The issue of poor public transport services and connections in the Shire had been raised anecdotally multiple times in Youth Council meetings, with lack of transport consistently being reported as a barrier to participation- both in Youth Council activities, but also more broadly in work, education, sport, community, and cultural activities.
The survey
The Community Public Transport survey was set up as a first step to mapping community experiences of local public transport use and services beyond anecdotes.
The survey was written through a supported co-design process with the Central Goldfields Youth Council. Survey questions were developed with the aim of capturing:
Distribution of public transit use and other transport methods across Shire communities
Reasons for community use of PT services
Barriers and reasons for not using PT services
Alternative forms of transport being utilized
Community experiences existing services
Community priorities and needs for transport changes
The survey was released on 20/06/2023 and closed on the 31/12/2023, with a total of 84 responses received.
Conclusion
While a large majority of respondents did report using public transport, most use is infrequent or occasional, for the purposes of social connection or recreation. This reflects the impracticality of the current local network for servicing daily needs, such as getting to school or work, accessing services and shops, and attending appointments.
Users encounter barriers of fragmented networks, infrequent services, services at impractical or unsafe times of day, poor disability accessibility, and inadequate geographic coverage, that discourage regular use across the Shire.
Key recommendations
More services running on existing lines, scheduled more frequently, at times better aligned for commuters, students, and for community members accessing services during business hours
Expand network access to reach more of the smaller communities in the region, such as Bealiba, Majorca, Bowenvale, and Adelaide Lead
More daytime services to Dunolly, connecting to both Maryborough and Bendigo
More direct connections from the Shire to metropolitan centres- particularly to Bendigo, Ballarat, and Melbourne
Expand the Myki network to the Maryborough train line (covering Maryborough, Talbot, Clunes, and Creswick stations)
Cost of use should be kept as low as possible
Disruptions, delays, and changes to services impact on the experience and practicality of public transport use in the Shire
Services need to be more disability accessible, more consistently
The next step is for us to explore opportunities to take the feedback to the State Government to advocate for improved public transport options for our Shire.
The Central Goldfields Youth Council’s Community Public Transport survey was developed and run at the request of Youth Councillors in 2023, to be used as an advocacy tool for improved public transport services in the Shire.
The issue of poor public transport services and connections in the Shire had been raised anecdotally multiple times in Youth Council meetings, with lack of transport consistently being reported as a barrier to participation- both in Youth Council activities, but also more broadly in work, education, sport, community, and cultural activities.
The survey
The Community Public Transport survey was set up as a first step to mapping community experiences of local public transport use and services beyond anecdotes.
The survey was written through a supported co-design process with the Central Goldfields Youth Council. Survey questions were developed with the aim of capturing:
Distribution of public transit use and other transport methods across Shire communities
Reasons for community use of PT services
Barriers and reasons for not using PT services
Alternative forms of transport being utilized
Community experiences existing services
Community priorities and needs for transport changes
The survey was released on 20/06/2023 and closed on the 31/12/2023, with a total of 84 responses received.
Conclusion
While a large majority of respondents did report using public transport, most use is infrequent or occasional, for the purposes of social connection or recreation. This reflects the impracticality of the current local network for servicing daily needs, such as getting to school or work, accessing services and shops, and attending appointments.
Users encounter barriers of fragmented networks, infrequent services, services at impractical or unsafe times of day, poor disability accessibility, and inadequate geographic coverage, that discourage regular use across the Shire.
Key recommendations
More services running on existing lines, scheduled more frequently, at times better aligned for commuters, students, and for community members accessing services during business hours
Expand network access to reach more of the smaller communities in the region, such as Bealiba, Majorca, Bowenvale, and Adelaide Lead
More daytime services to Dunolly, connecting to both Maryborough and Bendigo
More direct connections from the Shire to metropolitan centres- particularly to Bendigo, Ballarat, and Melbourne
Expand the Myki network to the Maryborough train line (covering Maryborough, Talbot, Clunes, and Creswick stations)
Cost of use should be kept as low as possible
Disruptions, delays, and changes to services impact on the experience and practicality of public transport use in the Shire
Services need to be more disability accessible, more consistently
The next step is for us to explore opportunities to take the feedback to the State Government to advocate for improved public transport options for our Shire.
