Exploring Trends in Forced Car Ownership in Melbourne

Transport affordability stresses have been acknowledged as a principle concern of transport disadvantage in Australian cities. Transport poverty is a term which has been used to describe low income households who have a little choice but to purchase and use cars to maintain a reasonable lifestyle in mainly fringe urban locations with no transport alternatives and poor walk accessibility. These households have been said to demonstrate lforced car ownershipr (FCO) however evidence suggest the degree of coercion involved is low, but affordability stresses which result are high. Forced car ownership has not been systematically reviewed since the 2001 census. This paper explores the extent to which FCO has changed between the 2001 and the most recent 2011 census. The analysis shows a 93 per cent increase in FCO households in outer Melbourne between 2001 and 2011. Most increases have been in areas with poor access to public transport or walk accessibility alternatives. Highest growth rates have occurred in outer western, northern and south-eastern fringe and middle Melbourne. The most pressing policy implication of these changes is that a greater proportion of low income Melbourne residents are vulnerable to financial shocks associated with potential future increases in fuel prices. The obvious implication of this analysis is that fringe Melbourne is facing a potential transport poverty crisis.