The 30-minute city: are we just dreaming?

As Illawarra cities grow larger, people move further afield to access suitable, affordable housing which makes transport crucial. It may be no surprise that each Illawarra household has on average 1.9 cars but with each medium sized vehicle costing nearly $13,500 annually to operate, the option of affordable, accessible, reliable, convenient and rapid transportation becomes increasingly attractive. That option is encapsulated by the elusive 30-Minute City.

The 30-Minute City concept advocates that residents can reach their important regional centres in less than a half-hour using intermodal transport. This may include a combination of active, vehicle and public transport with every journey involving multiple modes. For example, you could drive to work and walk into the office, or drive to the station, hop on the train and then walk the final stage to the office.

Recent modelling by RDA Illawarra and the SMART Facility at UOW shows that only 10 per cent of Wollongong residents can reach the CBD by rail within 30 minutes, and fewer than 50 per cent can do so by bus. Results for Shellharbour bus users are better at 64 per cent but that still excludes a third of the population.

The Illawarra has the infrastructure to create a 30-Minute City. We have a rail link as the spine of our network, with stations acting as local hubs. Bus services from each hub then move commuters along the 'spokes' to a location at - or close to - their destination but it needs to be well planned and integrated.

Timetables and transport hubs need to be coordinated with facilities planned for the use of bikes, e-bikes and cars. Networks should be planned for the expansion of residential areas and increased density around access points (hubs) - with the user at the centre of the planning. For example, Amsterdam has just opened a public bike garage that holds 7000 bicycles and is connected to its central railway station by a moving walkway - facilitating active and public transport options.

'More Trains, More Services' will be welcomed on the South Coast Line but are of limited use if commuters still need to wait 20 minutes for the next link in their journey. It's time to throw out the current thinking and for all the key stakeholders to collaborate and develop a transport services plan for the region.