Hobart’s traffic congestion soars as population ponzi bites

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By Leith van Onselen

After planning expert, Irene Duckett, last week labelled Hobart’s population boom a “runaway train” with health services and roads struggling to cope with the increasing demand, a new report into Australia’s road congestion from the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) has found Hobart is the fourth-most congested capital in Australia:

RACT general manager Stacey Pennicott said the report confirmed what a lot of drivers already knew.

“Most motorists within Hobart who are doing the regular commute would have known that intuitively, but now we have the data to prove that the routes into and out of Hobart are actually taking motorists longer to actually get to their destination,” she said…

“The route from Sorell into Hobart CBD and return is seeing a longer period of time and that is getting worse year on year,” she said.

“Also the route from the airport to Hobart, which is a similar route, is actually the third most congested route for airports in Australia.” She said population growth combined with an increase in tourism was creating more movement on Hobart’s roads.

“At the moment our road network is stretched to its limit, and if there’s any small incident along the way, that contributes to congestion within the city”…

“You only need a minor traffic accident and that whole traffic stream just builds all the way back. It’s so frustrating and it’s so unnecessary.”

Welcome to the East Coast population ponzi, Tassie, and all the ‘vibrancy’ that it brings: crush-loaded roads, hospitals and amenity, not to mention unaffordable housing. This is your future as well if the RBA’s newest immigration idiot, Ian Harper, gets his way:

ONE of Australia’s most distinguished economists says Hobart should aggressively target a doubling of its population to 400,000 people by 2025 — a strategy he says would inevitably boost jobs and development.

Melbourne Business School dean Ian Harper has challenged the state to think differently about change and called for council amalgamations and an examination of planning and zoning laws to allow for population development through the Midlands…

“If Tassie wants to be able to deliver the types of living standards, high value jobs, meaningful jobs, in a community with high levels of technological sophistication and inclusive governance, if it wants to do that, then it has to start with the driver of productivity growth, and that’s people,” Professor Harper said…

[Harper] has pointed to Victoria’s extensive infrastructure program as evidence population growth helps the economy, with Melbourne the nation’s fastest-growing capital city and Victoria the fastest-growing state.

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The last time I checked, productivity increases when you get more output from LESS input – not more output with more input. Moreover, nothing destroys productivity more than increased traffic congestion and higher land costs – both of which are made worse by mass immigration.

Back to school, Ian Harper.

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About the author
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.