Most respondents to university study on transport issues do not care about the freight task
By Brad Gardner | March 21, 2011
Most Australians do not care about the freight task or transport in general, according to a new survey from the University of Sydney.
The university’s Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies’ latest quarterly survey shows transport ranked last (7 percent) on the list of priorities for Australia. Health is the highest priority (45 percent).
The survey of 1000 adults across Australia found that only 7 percent thought freight and interstate rail was the highest priority transport issue.
“Half of Australians (49%) said the highest priority issue for transport in Australia is public transport improvements,” the survey says.
Released ahead of the March 26 NSW election, the survey found more than three quarters of the state’s residents think transport in their local area will be the same or worse in a year.
“As NSW looks almost certain to move to a new era with a change in government, the absence of increased optimism about NSW’s increasingly squeezed transport systems, means significant challenges for a new government,” the institute’s director, Professor David Hensher, says.
Queensland residents overtook NSW and Victoria in saying transport is worse than one year ago.
The survey says the 28 percent of Queensland residents with a negative view represents a 3 percent increase over the last survey and the highest number of any state.
However, almost half of Australians (48 percent) believe transport will be better in five years than in one year’s time. The finding comes amid a fall in the number of those who think transport will get worse.
The number of people who think transport will be the same in one year’s time rose from 39 percent to 45 percent.