Would better public transport get you out of your car?

Updated: 10:54AM Thursday July 9, 2009

More and more Aucklanders are commuting to work by car, despite a marginal increase in public transport use in the past decade.

A new analysis of commuting patterns, published yesterday by Statistics NZ, shows that the proportion taking the car to work in the Auckland region rose from 78.4 per cent in 1996 to 78.6 per cent in 2001 and 78.8 per cent in the last Census, in 2006.

Public transport's share rose in the same period from 6.1 per cent to 6.3 per cent and then 6.4 per cent.

Would better public transport get you out of your car? Here is the latest selection of Your Views:

Nigel (Te Atatu South)
Thursday July 9, 2009 Ya think! Of course a better public transport system is needed first before people get out of their cars. Until it is easier, hassle free and most importantly faster.

Yes it needs to be faster then the car will dominate. Our rail network would need some significant additions, electrified line and efficient fast travel. Strange phenomonym of our times is spending millions on pulluting bus ways and leaving the train status like a 60's donkey. Hello!

Leslie Wooller (Onehunga)
Tuesday July 7, 2009 I agree with 'Realist' we need a more efficient train system. For a start we need to electrify our rail network and bring it in line with other countries. New Zealand would not have a congestion problem if more people got out of their cars and into public transport. Other more populated cities in the world manage it and do very well. Continually casting blame on the public tranport system is a cop out.

In Onehunga there is a bus on average every 5-15 minutes which is great and doesn't cost the earth. New Zealanders love of cars will always cause congestion and the sooner we wake up to that fact and get out of our cars the less congestion and better our health and air pollution will be!

JBB (Mt Eden)
Tuesday July 7, 2009 Yes it would. Unfortunately, I don't think Auckland's public transport system will ever provide an appropriate extent, capacity or efficiency to make it worthwhile. Not in this lifetime anyway.

WELLYRN (Te Aro)
Tuesday July 7, 2009 A more appropriate question would be "Who would lose millions in petrol tax revenue if NZ had affordable, efficient and reliable public transport?"

Fred (Howick)
Tuesday July 7, 2009 I would love to take a Train. At present however I have to drive half the distance between my house and work just to get to my closest train station. So rather than park buy a ticket and then wait for the train. It is much easier to drive the reaminder of the way.

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