Bus plan pitched to cut southern gridlock

FREE public transport would be a cheap and fast solution to ease congestion on main roads south of central Hobart, a candidate for the Upper House division of Nelson says.

Lawyer and human rights advocate Richard Griggs has announced his tilt for the seat, where an election is scheduled for May next year.

He said his plan for free peak-hour transport would cost about $2.5 million a year, in contrast to a $35 million plan to build a fifth lane on the Southern Outlet.

Mr Griggs said with new mayors in Hobart and Kingborough, the time was right to try new solutions.

“The timing is perfect for the State Government to partner with the two councils to trial free peak-hour buses on the Southern Outlet, Channel Highway and Sandy Bay Road to combat congestion,” he said.

“The State Government is investigating adding a fifth lane to the Southern Outlet and establishing clearways on selected streets in the Hobart CBD.

“These strategies will cater for existing traffic but will do nothing to actually reduce reliance on car travel or deal with congestion in a proactive way,” Mr Griggs said.

“Innovative solutions are needed and we have the perfect opportunity between now and when a decision is made on the fifth lane to trial free buses and gather some detailed data on what difference it makes to congestion.”

Mr Griggs said previous short-term trials had led to an increase of 14 per cent in pa- tronage on public transport, and a longer-term trial would be a good opportunity to cut congestion to and from the Hobart CBD.

He has written to Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds and Kingborough Mayor Dean Winter as well as Infrastructure Minister Jeremy Rockliff spruiking the plan.

The 36-year-old lawyer ran for the Legislative Council seat of Hobart in the May election, finishing second to fellow independent Rob Valentine with 39 per cent of the vote after preferences were distributed.

The sitting Member for Nelson, independent Jim Wilkinson, who has held the seat since 1995, is retiring.

Former footballer and educator Blair Brownless has also announced his candidacy in the seat.

Nelson contains parts of the suburbs of Sandy Bay, Mount Nelson, Dynnyrne and Taroona and extends south to Blackmans Bay and west to Leslie Vale, Neika and Longley.

We have the perfect opportunity ... to trial free buses

— RICHARD GRIGGS