Melbourne Campus Transport Strategy
La Trobe University has an ongoing commitment to improve the range of transport options available to students, staff and visitors.
At the moment, La Trobe University’s Melbourne (Bundoora) campus is highly dependent on car travel: 70% of trips to the campus are made by car, while only 26% of trips are by public transport. This spilt in numbers compares unfavourably with universities located in similar suburban locations.
Without investment in competitive options, the University will continue to be heavily reliant on private car travel. In addition to being less environmentally-sustainable, reliance on cars leads to traffic congestion on surrounding roads and means that the university has to maintain extensive areas of car parks.
We know that university students are more likely to use public and active transport options than the general public as a whole.
While the University is served by the 86 tram and an extensive network of local buses, these services are comparatively slow, particularly for longer trips. Public transport links to eastern suburbs and the growing northern suburbs of Melbourne are particularly poor.
The path network leading into the university from surrounding areas could be improved, with the construction of key missing links and improvements to user safety.
Meaningful improvements can be simply achieved. The University advocated strongly for the establishment of the 301 bus route between the University and Reservoir Train Station. With services every 10 minutes to Reservoir Train Station on the South Morang train Line during semester week days, this service has become one of the most highly-patronised bus routes in the whole of Melbourne.
But more can be done: the 301 does not run after 7pm, nor does it run outside semester, nor on weekends.
Melbourne Campus Transport Priorities
The University commissioned Arup to prepare the La Trobe University Transport Initiatives – Prioritisation Plan (2019) to update the University’s 2012 Transport Strategy. The Plan identifies a number of key projects to improve transport options to and from the university.
Priorities include road, public transport services, and paths and trails improvements. These are listed below:
- Kingsbury Drive - Boulevard and Place
- Enhanced Bus Route 301
- LTU - Box Hill / Doncaster Express Bus
- LTU – Northland – Preston Rapid Transit
- LTU - Glenferrie (Swinburne Uni) via Kew Bus
- Tram 86 Extension: Uni Hill - South Morang
- Plenty Road Tram super stops
- LTU - Broadmeadows (- Craigieburn) Express Bus
- Suburban Rail Loop
- LTU – Macleod path
- Darebin Creek shared trail links
- LTU – Reservoir path
- LTU – Greensborough path
- LTU – Northland path
- Bus terminal removal
- Car parking strategies
- Trail and path improvements
- Wayfinding and signage strategy
Find out more
If you would like to know more about these priorities, or obtain a copy of the Priorities Plan, please contact io@latrobe.edu.au