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Transport in Canberra is provided by private cars, buses, walking, cycling, taxis and light rail for travel within the city, while regional rail, air, and long-distance coach services operate for travel beyondCanberra. A vast road network also plays a major role in transport within and beyond the city.
Most travel within Canberra is provided by private vehicles (75% of trips / 90% of travel distance), walking (18% / 2.2%), public transport (3.6% / 5.2%) and bicycling (2.5% / 1.3%).[1]
On 1 July 2016, Transport Canberra, a division ofTransport Canberra & City Services, was formed to manage all public transport operations within the Australian Capital Territory includingACTION bus services and light rail planning and construction, previously managed by the Capital Metro Agency.[2]
The automobile is by far the dominant form of transport in Canberra.[3] The city is laid out so that arterial roads connecting inhabited clusters run through undeveloped areas of open land or forest, which results in a low population density;[4] this also means that idle land is available for the development of future transport corridors if necessary without the need to build tunnels or acquire developed residential land. In contrast, other capital cities in Australia have substantially less green space.[5]
Canberra's districts are generally connected byparkways—limited accessdual carriageway roads[3][6] with speed limits generally set at a maximum of 100 km/h (62 mph).[7][8] An example is theTuggeranong Parkway which links Canberra's CBD and Tuggeranong, and bypasses Weston Creek.[9] In most districts, discrete residential suburbs are bounded by main arterial roads with only a few residential linking in, to deter non-local traffic from cutting through areas of housing.[10]
In an effort to improve road safety, traffic cameras were first introduced to Canberra by theKate Carnell Government in 1999.[11] The traffic cameras installed in Canberra include fixed red-light and speed cameras and point-to-point speed cameras; together they bring in revenue of approximately $11 million per year in fines.[11]
The largest public transport operator is theGovernment of the Australian Capital Territory ownedACTION. In July 1926 theFederal Capital Commission commenced operating bus services in Canberra. With the opening ofOld Parliament House in May 1927 and the associated relocation ofAustralian Commonwealth Government departments to Canberra, the frequency of service offered by the Canberra City Omnibus Service increased as the population of the new city grew.
During the early 1950s, bus services were expanded toNarrabundah,Yarralumla andO'Connor. These routes were extended further in the late 1950s with the development ofDickson andCampbell.
In August 1963 the firstWoden Valley services were introduced. Similar early services were provided for other areas. From 1961 the newRussell Offices complex demanded a growing number of additional peak services, including feeders from the city. The Canberra fleet grew from 25 buses in 1942 to over 90 in 1966.
In March 1968 a reformed bus network was introduced. This involved new bus timetables and driver schedules, based on regular services on all routes throughout the day with synchronised movements through the main centres. In February 1977, a new system was unveiled and the operation renamed Australian Capital Territory Internal Omnibus Network (ACTION).
Today ACTION operates routes throughout the Australian Capital Territory with a fleet of 456 buses.[12]
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CDC Canberra, formerly known as Qcity Transit, operates bus services from the neighbouring city ofQueanbeyan intoCanberra City. As well as these services it also has services that can run to the town ofYass. It is owned byComfortDelGro Australia, who purchased the business in August 2012.[13][14]
CDC Canberra is permitted to carry passengers within the Australian Capital Territory, with the previous restriction being lifted in June 2012.[15]
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Canberra is serviced by a number of long-distance coach operators operating out of theJolimont Centre.
Walter Burley Griffin's masterplan for Canberra included a railway that was to run fromQueanbeyan to the currentCanberra railway station inKingston then north along the causeway and over theMolonglo River toRussell, along Amaroo Street toCivic and then north out of the city along Lonsdale and Ijong Streets. But aside from the current section, the only other part constructed was the line as far as Civic, albeit to temporary standards to carry construction materials; it was removed in 1940.[21]
Canberra has been serviced by trains fromSydney since March 1927 with theFederal City Express,Canberra Monaro Express,Southern Highlands Express andCanberra Express all having provided this link, the latter being operated by anXPT from August 1983 until February 1990. An overnight service was provided with a carriage detached from theCooma Mail atQueanbeyan. From April 1962 until March 1975 a through carriage was detached from theSpirit of Progress atGoulburn providing a connection withMelbourne.[21]
Today Canberra is serviced by three dailyNSW TrainLinkXplorer services each way with three carriages to Sydney.[18]
TheCanberra light rail stage 1 operates betweenGungahlin Place andCanberra City, travelling along Flemington Road andNorthbourne Avenue.[22] A 1.7 km extension (stage 2A) is under construction.
Canberra has been on the map of various high-speed rail proposals since 1984. The last serious attempt with government backing was terminated in December 2000.[23]
Canberra has anintegrated ticketing system between bus and light rail using theMyWay, asmartcard system introduced in 2011 by ACTION.[24]
Canberra Airport is serviced byQantas,QantasLink,Virgin Australia andFlyPelican with services toAdelaide,Brisbane,Gold Coast,Melbourne,Perth,Sydney,Newcastle andDubbo. In September 2016,Singapore Airlines commenced operating international flights toSingapore andWellington, and in February 2018,Qatar Airways commenced operating international flights toDoha.[25]
Since the days of the Griffin Plan, corridors have been reserved for high-capacity, fixed-route public transport.[26]
In 1977,ACTION said it was providing 15 minute bus frequencies to 27 suburbs all-day.[27]: 15 Canberra was a pioneer of the timed-transfer bus system[27]: 14 , and was cited as a model in a 1981 study for the US Department of Transportation.[28]: 17
In 1974 theNational Capital Development Commission announced a shift in transport planning, designed primarily to prioritise intertown public transport and discourage private vehicles for commuting.[29]
By 1984, the roads policy was designed on the opposite basis to the 1974 transport policy.[27]: 20 This led to Canberra being a car-dominated city today.
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