National household travel surveys: The case for Australia

This paper reviews a number of national household travel surveys that have been conducted elsewhere in the world, especially in Europe, the Middle East, North America, and New Zealand. The purposes of these surveys are described and the survey characteristics and related national statistics are provided and compared to the national statistics for Australia. These comparisons make it evident that there is a clear case for undertaking a nationwide household travel survey in Australia, based on both similar needs for national data in Australia and the fact that the attributes of the Australian population fit well within the parameters of national household travel surveys elsewhere. Further, a summary is provided of the metropolitan household travel surveys that have been conducted in Australia, demonstrating the lack of comparability between these surveys that leaves it as an impossibility to draw general conclusions about the demand for transport and the performance of the transport system in Australia, as well as documenting the almost total lack of planning data for regional towns in Australia. The paper concludes by suggesting parameters for an Australian National Household Travel Survey and indicates the likely cost of such a survey and the potential benefits that would arise from it.