Talking Point: A Macquarie Point transport hub is the solution to Hobart traffic snarls

PETER PARTRIDGE: Macquarie Point makeover could help preserve Hobart’s lifestyle

TOP SPOT: Macquarie Point interchange could free up city streets. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE

THE focus is again on Hobart’s transport woes. While $100 million-plus will improve traffic flow on the Tasman Highway, then what?

The challenge is not just about roads, it’s about the integration of land use, people’s expectations and attitudes. This is important — we share the potential for a continued fabulous lifestyle in a beautiful city.

If Hobart is to continue to grow and retain its lifestyle, there has to be compromise. If we wish to continue to build and live in detached houses, favour coastal locations, retain Hobart’s character and convenience, then we must accept the city cannot continue to accept more private cars indefinitely, particularly in rush hours.

We will have to create an alternative transport system that more of us are prepared to use.

Hobart needs a comprehensive, acceptable, affordable plan that can be implemented by our politicians. They have long talked about transport, prepared studies and engaged international planners such as Gehl. Unfortunately most only focused on the responsibilities of the individual body that commissioned them.

In 2015 a multi-disciplined team prepared a master plan for Macquarie Point. They proposed a “shared vision” that was “for the people of Tasmania”, and “requested our ideas”. Macquarie Point guarantees opportunity for economic outcomes such as those more recently proposed — the science precinct and the Eden Project — but in addition Macquarie Point still offers the opportunity to become Hobart’s major transport hub.

Macquarie Point has always been a transport hub — adjacent the port, at the end of the state’s rail network; immediately adjacent to main road links and more recently the inter-city bicycle track.

Macquarie Point can provide beneficial outcomes to Hobart in many ways, not least by developing a lower level to accommodate a new central bus park, where city buses would arrive, and from where hop-on/hop-off buses could flit around the city connecting with the Royal Hobart Hospital, university faculties, schools, courts and the library. This will immediately reduce the number of parked buses in city streets, and allow the creation of a pedestrian haven to rival any inner-city square in front of the Post Office.

Macquarie Point with a central tourist information centre would be so much better for visitors — a stroll from the cruise ship terminal and ferry wharfs, a place to catch a bus or tourist coach, hire a taxi or Uber, access a bicycle and, if ever built, the light rail. For the movers and shakers there would be a heliport, horse-drawn coaches for romantics and a central location for hire-cars. If there is an excess of space the undercroft would be a great location for a car park. Much of the CBD is less than a 10-minute walk away.

With a little imagination and open mindedness Macquarie Point could be the impetus to change the balance between the private car and alternative forms of transport. It will not happen overnight and needs politicians local, state and federal to see beyond their own jurisdiction.

Hobart is linear, spread out and its population is never likely to be large enough to render railways or trams viable for commuters. But the city already has radiating highways.

Why not invest in carparks at existing centres as far out as Kingston, Bridgewater and Sorell, at the head of services that integrate Metro, regional, school and airport buses with ferries to provide a single service designed to absorb sufficient usage to stop congestion from getting worse, and over time entice greater numbers to use it.

Further investment would be in comfortable vehicles, waiting pods etc, then in advertising and promotion. Governments spend on advertising, but they rarely promote public transport.

Many incentives can be considered to change the balance to favour public transport: minimal parking for new developments, reassess the pricing for off-street car parks in the CBD and add free battery charging facilities, tinkering with flex-time arrangements for public servants, vehicle registration charges to promote smaller cars with non-carbon emission capabilities, and pricing structures for fares.

Reducing commuters’ cars will create beneficial outcomes: more off-street parking can become short term thus reducing kerbside parking and meters, a huge improvement on continuous parked cars on both sides of city streets. Secondary streets can have wider footpaths, planting and genuine cycle lanes; with more lanes and improved traffic flow on main thoroughfares. Various proposals have been made to solve through traffic from ring roads, tunnels, even using the River Derwent. Initially let’s focus on local improvements and traffic management.

The joy of Hobart is the way it has developed and matured. It is essential that Macquarie Point respects and reflects this and produces more enduring architecture that is well briefed, well led and responding to market forces and needs as they arise. There is no merit in attempting to pre-design everything on the upper level at one go.

This strategic vision will require an undercroft and will initially cost more than simply building on Macquarie Point, but its true economic worth will be far greater, with cost savings on infrastructure, health and travel time, plus the value that will come from a more pleasant city and even greater accolades from the likes of Lonely Planet.

Ultimately commuting will take less time, cost less and create more jobs and less pollution. Perhaps the impact of artificial intelligence may even reduce the number of commuters.

Unfortunately the option of an interchange on the Macquarie Point site seemed to be discarded as part of a previous Central Bus Interchange Planning Project, and potential park and ride car parks are not being considered when rare and valuable sites like the old Kingston High School are being redeveloped and the airport junction is being designed. Hobart needs our politicians to create a more holistic strategy before potential opportunities for improving transport slip away.

Peter Partridge is an award-winning architect, Metro Greencard holder and motorist.