Unsustainable transport trends in census data for the journey to work : the oil conservation role of the bicycle in Australian and New Zealand cities.

Melbourne commutes are analysed in depth in 2001. All commute modes, household car ownership and household density are analysed for the sixteen regions of metropolitan Melbourne. The proportion of walking and cycling trips was very low in the six outermost suburbs and nearly all bicycle commutes were made by men, but in the inner suburbs there are nearly as many female bicycle commutes. Walking, cycling and public transport commutes resulted in higher ,and healthier, levels of incidental exercise in the inner suburbs, less so in the middle suburbs and very little in the outer suburbs. Similar trends apply in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide which suggest that these trends are likely to apply to Auckland and Wellington. Travel Smart programs are recommended to target and then reduce single occupant car commuting and encourage bicycle use in the outer suburbs. The Census data for 2006 and 2011 can be used to evaluate such programs. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E213900.