Public and active transport

Why this theme?

At our community panel’s first session, participants were asked the following question: What does a good move by the Uni to the city look like?

As views were shared, a series of topics began to resonate, with twelve in particular rising to the surface. Later, everyone was asked to nominate which three of these topics they felt were most important for the panel to engage with. The top six were confirmed as The Shake Up’s ongoing themes, with public and active transport being one of them.

What do we mean by public and active transport?

As the uni moves fully into the city, it makes sense to wonder how everyone is going to get in and out of the campus, and what sort of transport they’ll use. The last thing anyone wants is for traffic to get worse.

That’s why the community panel has chosen to carefully consider this theme. Public transport options, such as Hobart’s bus network, will play a huge role in how the city keeps moving. Active transport, such as cycling and walking, will also be vital to the way we move in and around the campus.

If they’re well designed, public and active transport can reduce our reliance on private vehicles, while also generating benefits for the city as a whole. These benefits include reduced congestion, reduced emissions, reduced need for car parks, more vibrant streetscapes and better health and wellbeing.

Input from The Shake Up panel will help define what the community needs, which will then be reflected in the university’s Master Plan. Councils and private operators can use this to understand public sentiment, and create outcomes that work best for everyone.