STOP THE BOATS CARS

Vehicles outnumber humans

MORE cars than migrants are arriving on the Gold Coast in a phenomenon that spells trouble for the city’s roads. In the past five years 70,000 extra vehicles were registered but the population grew by only 51,000.

RAPID growth in car registrations is far outstripping population growth, compounding traffic gridlock as the Gold Coast becomes a victim of its own success.

At current growth rates, there will be more local vehicles than locals in the region within 12 years – with the drive tourist market adding millions more of both.

The improving economy is proving a double-edged sword for transport planners, helping boost growth in vehicle sales as new residents rely on the road network where public transport infrastructure is lacking.

There were 16,748 extra vehicles registered in the city last year, bringing the total to 472,025 – almost 70,000 more than five years ago, according to ABS data.

The population grew by about 51,000 people in the same period.

Associate Professor Mat- thew Burke, transport research lead at Griffith University, said the trend was not reflected in southern states, where car registrations had dived and public transport patronage had grown.

He said an improved economy and availability of cheaper cars had boosted registrations here.

“Across Australia we saw a drop in motor vehicle purchasing and registrations at the start of this decade,” he said.

“Most researchers believed this was due to a lull in economic growth, particularly outside the mining boom states, and changes in young people obtaining licences much later in life than previous generations.

“Through this period public transport patronage, particularly on rail, soared in Melbourne and Sydney.”

TransLink fares were increased by more than 50 per cent from 2010 to 2015 – but have been reduced in the past two years. Public transport use on the Gold Coast grew by almost a third in 2015-16, the first full year after the launch of the light rail – but the rate of vehicle registrations grew faster in that year than in the three previous.

Dr Burke said the hope for change lay in a shift to apartment living close to light rail and in technology that made car ownership less attractive.

“Should driverless vehicles become a reality soon then personal car ownership is expected to fall sharply,” he said.