Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynold’s top tips to beat the Hobart traffic

Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds has a few ideas on how to ease the city’s traffic squeeze as kids return to school and commuters head to work.

Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds calls for commuters to find alternative ways to get to work and school to ease traffic woes. Picture: FIONA HARDING

Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds has a few ideas on how to ease the city’s traffic squeeze as kids return to school and commuters head to work — take a bus or car pool.

The Tasmanian Government expects traffic to increase by 10 per cent this week as schools around Hobart resume for another year.

Ald Reynolds said the city’s traffic was mainly confined to the times of the day when people travelled to and from school and work and said these peak hours could be better managed if commuters were to change their mode of travel just one day a week.

“Even if driving is your most practical option on most days, perhaps try taking a bus or sharing a lift to the city just one day a week,” Ald Reynolds said.

“Perhaps encourage the kids to walk, ride or bus to school on a day or two a week if they haven’t done it before.”

This came after the Lord Mayor thanked the public for the huge turnout for the ferry service that operated during the recent closure of the Tasman Highway, with more than 3000 people using the service throughout the day.

HUNDREDS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FREE FERRY SERVICE

“We know that only the State Government has the budget and responsibility to run a permanent, public transport ferry, and we will continue to encourage them to do this,” she said.

Ald Reynolds said she was surprised at how many people were also using the ferry for recreation purposes.

“Interestingly there was also a lot of traffic heading to the Eastern Shore with bikes and prams. It was a great way for the Hobart community to connect and explore via the river,” she said.

“The council has been a fan of ferries for many years and hosted a roundtable in July 2017 to keep the issue on the agenda.”

The Tasmanian Government said it understood traffic congestion was a major concern in Hobart and they were working towards delivering the transport infrastructure they believed the state needed.

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