Transport Modes

Modes are transport planner speak for 'types' of transport. Trains are one mode, buses are another, private cars are also a mode of transport (but one of the least efficient in most cases). Each mode has a set of circumstances in which it will be the most useful or efficient, so its never a case of choosing one mode over all the others for every situation. It is more of a 'horses for courses' approach that should be used if we are going to get the best use of our transport network.

One of the largest issues for Sydney is that we are not able to choose the best mode for any situation because at least one is deliberately being left out of the equation - Light Rail. The NSW Government has specifically stated that they will not even contemplate light rail, despite the fact that many cities around the world are installing such systems as fast as they can. Even the great oil state of Texas in the United States is jumping on the bandwagon!

The other big issue is that most of the NSW Governments current transport planning is dominated by the mode of private cars and motorised freight vehicles. Trains and Buses have their own problems too, but they are also largely affected by the decisions that are being made regarding other modes. Money that we spend on more road infrastructure is money that we don't spend on trains or buses or light rail. Unless we have a government that adopts an open-minded and best-fit approach to planning transport there is little chance to improve our transport networks failings.