CBD student influx touted to cut cars and boost shoppers

THE  University of Tasmania is confident its rapid expansion into the Hobart CBD will not add to the city’s traffic congestion but actually pave the way for a gridlock cure.

THE  University of Tasmania is confident its rapid expansion into the Hobart CBD will not add to the city’s traffic congestion but actually pave the way for a gridlock cure.

The university says shifting its footprint into the city centre will produce a critical mass of students and staff that will act as the tipping point for the city to become less reliant on cars.

Hundreds of students will start moving into the CBD’s new 15-storey student apartment complex in February, and the university is working on plans to provide e-bike sharing and a limited car pool to deter students from using their own cars.

In its draft Sustainable Transport Strategy, the university advocates greater take-up of public transport and active transport — cycling and walking — through the provision of improved services in the city and greater Hobart.

Sustainability manager Corey Peterson said future dev­elopment in the CBD would ease traffic congestion in Sandy Bay Rd and improve public transport in Hobart.

“Moving people into the city will result in better public transport into the city, as there are more potential customers,” Mr Peterson said.

The strategy shows the university’s southern campuses are already paving the way, with a growth in the take-up of bikes and buses and decreasing use of single-occupant cars.

The university has made bike travel more attractive by investing in secure bike storage and showers, while more people are taking buses after the upgrade of bus shelters and more frequent services.

Student Carolina Carcia says Hobart is hard work on a bike. Picture: KIM EISZELE

To further deter unsustainable transport choices, the university plans to charge different prices for parking permits — with larger, less fuel-efficient cars slugged more.

The university’s CBD expansion and the development of Macquarie Point have been raised as priority issues by ­Regional Development Australia in its response to the State Government’s Draft Transport Access Strategy, which is looking for answers to traffic congestion.

“How are the impacts of new developments that will impact traffic movements, such as Macquarie Point, and the University of Tasmania inner city expansion in Hobart, Launceston and Burnie being considered as part of this strategy?” the submission asks.

RDA Tasmania chief Craig Perkins said the committee supported the growth of the university in the CBD but the move would require a change in people’s travel behaviour.

The university has expanded into the CBD already through the development of the medical sciences precinct and IMAS building on the waterfront.

Upcoming developments include the $65 million student apartment complex in Elizabeth St and the creative industries and performing arts development adjoining the Theatre Royal, due by 2018.

The draft Sustainable Transport Strategy says the male-to-female cycling ratio across the university is 3:1, with busy CBD traffic highlighted as a discouragement for women.

A survey of staff and students shows women tend to drive to university a little more than men, partly because they are more likely to be juggling family commitments and partly because of safety concerns around active transport.

The strategy suggests more separate bike lanes and dedicated bike routes.

For student Carolina Garcia, bike riding is the cheaper and healthier option — but she wishes it was safer.

The PhD student, who arrived from Colombia in 2012, said cycling back home in Bogota felt a lot safer than Hobart.

“In Colombia there’s a lot of people who cycle because it’s a cheaper form of transport, and Bogota has proper bike infrastructure.”

In her commute between Sandy Bay and her home in Taroona, Ms Garcia said she had had a few “near misses” with people parking their cars and opening doors.

Originally published as CBD student influx touted to cut cars and boost shoppers