Indicator Rationale 

Public transport is seen as a key sustainability indicator as it has wide-ranging impacts on the environment, employment options and access to services. Adequate public transport is particularly important for the young, elderly or disadvantaged who are often without a car and have difficulty accessing services, facilities and social networks. For a transport network to be a viable alternative to the car, pedestrian and cycle paths need to be integrated with public transport systems (The Australia Institute and Newcastle City Council, 2000). 

Transport networks have the additional benefit of increasing physical activity. Increasing physical activity improves physical and mental well-being, encourages social interaction and lowers the risk of heart, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.  Escalating petrol prices are encouraging more people to use public transport and leave the car at home. However, not all communities have adequate infrastructure or public transport services. People’s perceptions of practical non-car transport opportunities are important in determining whether the transport network is effective. Increased public transport has significant potential to reduce road accidents, traffic congestion, and air pollution (Austin et al., 2001). 

Data Source 

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006 Census, Basic Community Profile Table B45 and Working Population Profile Table W21

Measures 

The Census collects information on the method used by employed people to travel to work on Census day. No information is collected on journeys for any other reason.

In terms of how they travelled to work on Census day, people may have used public transport, rode a bicycle or walked, or used another form of private transport. In addition, some employed people may not have travelled to work on Census day - either because they worked at home or because they did not work on that day. The three measures listed below provide data for three of these four categories.

The three measures are each derived on the basis of two spatial areas - area of residence and area of workplace. Area of residence includes employed people living in the area (with the measures expressed as a percentage of all employed people living in the area). Area of workplace includes people working in the area (with the measures expressed as a percentage of all people working in the area).

In the 2006 Census, information sufficient to determine how they travelled to work on Census day was not obtained from some employed Victorians, and these people were excluded from the population prior to the calculation of proportions. On a residence basis, this included 1.9% of employed Victorians (varying between 1.1% and 2.9% in individual LGAs), while on a workplace basis, this included 1.2% of employed Victorians (varying between 0.8% and 1.8% in individual LGAs). These people were excluded from the population prior to the calculation of proportions. In addition, some employed people did not provide their workplace address, and some people did not provide a response enabling the determination of labour force status, and have been excluded.

People Who Used Public Transport to Travel to Work on Census Day: Comprises people who travelled to work using a train, bus, ferry or tram - either as a single method or in combination with other methods (including private transport).

People Who Rode a Bicycle or Walked to Work on Census Day: Comprises people who rode a bicycle or walked to work - as a single method.

Employed People Who Worked at Home or Did Not Work on Census Day

Census Questions

The data have been derived from the following census variables: Method of Travel to Work and Labour Force Status.

These variables were derived from responses to a number of questions on the 2006 Census form:

The census form instructed respondents that a job was any type of work, including casual, temporary or part-time work, if it was for one hour or more.

It should be noted that Method of Travel to Work refers to the method used on the day of the Census, not the usual method used. It is also important to understand that Method of Travel to Work is based on a different reference period (Census day) to other census data relating to employment (the week prior to Census night) and place of usual residence. For a small proportion of records, Method of Travel to Work may have been inconsistent with place of work or place of usual residence information (e.g. the person worked at a different address on Census day to that in the week prior, or the person did not go to work on Census day from their place of usual residence).

References 

Austin, T., Shoemark, S., Stokes, S., Stone, S., and Terril, A.  (2001).  Part 1-Developing A Draft Set of Sustainability Indicators for the Shire of Cardinia.  Graduate School of Environmental Science, Monash University November 2001.

Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006 Census of Population and Housing - Reference and Information.