Living without a private vehicle in Brisbane is unrealistic for most due to the city's sprawling layout and limited public transport options, a University of Queensland study has found.
Key points
- UQ researchers recruited 10 car-owning Brisbane residents to go without their vehicles for 20 days
- Participants were asked follow their regular schedules using only public transport, cycling, walking, micro-mobility devices such as scooters, and taxis and ride-share services in an emergency
- Brisbane's sprawling urban layout and public transport limitations were identified as the main barriers to permanent car-free life in the city
Urban planners from UQ's School of Architecture, Design and Planning recruited 10 car-owning Brisbane residents to go without their vehicles for 20 days for a research project assessing the barriers to car-free living in low-density cities.
Associate Professor Dorina Pojani said the project asked 5 men and 5 women to follow their regular schedules using only public transport, cycling, walking, micro-mobility devices such as scooters, and taxis and ride-share services in an emergency.
Despite the range of mobility options available, Dr Pojani said all participants reported relief after completing the experiment and would not consider a permanent switch to car-free living.
"The overwhelming feedback was that it's just too hard to live without a car in Brisbane," Dr Pojani said.
"It's ultimately a sprawling, low-density city with a lack of integrated transport options - obstacles that have been shaped by historic planning decisions."
Dr Pojani and PhD scholar Sufian Almubarak devised the car-free study and chronicled the experiences of commuters in two 'second tier' global cities of comparative urban sprawl: Brisbane and Al-Ahsa in Saudi Arabia.
The 10 participants in each location were interviewed before, during and after their car-free experiences and kept travel diaries.
UQ Associate Professor of urban planning Dr Dorina Pojani.
(Photo credit: The University of Queensland.)
All but one of the 10 Brisbane participants was working or studying and most lived within 2 kilometres of the city centre, with outliers at Manly in the east, Indooroopilly in the city's inner-west, and Oxley in the south-west.
Participants were provided incentives such as public transport cards and offered reimbursement if taxis, ride-share services, or shared e-bikes and e-scooters were needed in an emergency.
Dr Pojani said the initial enthusiasm of Brisbane participants waned by the end of the 3-week experience, while most found the study disorienting and fraught with mobility difficulties that undermined their quality of life.
"Active and public transport took precedence in lieu of cars, although the experience with public transport in Brisbane was mixed due to major service gaps outside the inner city," Dr Pojani said.
"Queensland's 50 cent fares have made public transport much more accessible, and that's reflected in rising usage.
"Still, our study indicates that even with cheaper travel, many people feel they can't rely on public transport alone and continue to depend on their cars."
Dr Pojani said participating parents also found that child-related transport - to school or extra-curricular activities - could not be easily arranged via alternative modes and had to be delegated to another person with car access.
Family outings and out-of-town trips, which previously required a car, also had to be put on hold.
"Four participants in Brisbane pledged to use public transport for short trips within the inner city, but all emphasised it was not realistic to give up their cars," Dr Pojani said.
"It demonstrates that in low-density, sprawling cities like Brisbane, people cannot be expected to permanently give up driving unless there is significant investment in public transport."
The research was published in the journal Transportation.
