Transforming Adelaide into a city of networked TODs using buses: case study of the Adelaide OBahn

The 2010 Planning Strategy and the 2015 Integrated Transport and Land Use Plan aim to re-orientate Adelaide’s urban transport system away from private cars towards public transit, cycling and walking. These planning instruments propose an integrated public transport network with Transit Oriented Developments (TODs) connected by transit corridors surrounded by urban residential densities of 35 dwellings/ha. Whilst in the more significant transit corridors, rail and tram networks will dominate, a modernised bus network will be needed to accommodate much of the anticipated modal switch to public transit. The OBahn serving Adelaide’s inner to middle north-eastern suburbs, demonstrates the mass transit potential of buses. However, the OBahn corridor lacks TODs with substantial residential development. It also lacks integration with the northern suburbs rail corridor, although the Planning Strategy does highlight a long term objective to develop a mass transit corridor from the OBahn to Salisbury, on the northern rail corridor. This paper explores the feasibility of bus based public transit in creating a transit oriented city and in fulfilling the Strategy’s environmental objectives using the case study of an extended Adelaide OBahn. The methodology applied is a spatial study of the pedsheds along the OBahn corridor (and its extension to Salisbury), and an examination of the route’s capacity and likely performance. The outcomes of this research are to determine the extent to which a bus based public transit system can meet the Strategy’s goal of increased residential densities both from an operational perspective as well as in contributing to reduced carbon emissions.