RAA survey supports further overhaul of Adelaide's public transport A RAA survey supports further improvements to Adelaide's public transport system. THE state's peak motoring group wants an overhaul of the public transport system to increase passenger numbers and take cars off Adelaide roads. An RAA survey shows commuters want faster, more direct and cheaper public transport as motorists brace for the return of rush-hour traffic congestion with the end of the traditional festive holiday season tomorrow. The association - with more than half a million members - is using the survey findings to lobby both major parties in the lead-up to the March state election to make public transport an attractive alternative to driving. With more vehicles on the road creating more congestion and pollution and slowing travel times, there was an urgent need to use public transport to cope with the growth in Adelaide's population, RAA automotive manager Mark Borlace said. Adelaide traditionally has the lowest public transport patronage in the nation, which means people are voting with their feet. But our survey shows there is a latent demand for public transport," he said. We're a car-based city that will become more congested but we don't want to wait for gridlock before looking at alternatives such as fixing public transport. Congestion was highlighted by last year's RAA traffic study showing peak travel times on the 2km stretch of Anzac Hwy between the Gallipoli Underpass and West Tce had reached a record crawl - taking nine minutes and 12 seconds, an increase of three minutes and 21 seconds compared with 2012. The public transport survey of more than 560 people held in conjunction with advertiser.com.au found: MORE than 80 per cent wanted faster, more direct routes; FOUR out of five wanted more frequent services; MORE than half said services were insufficient in their own neighbourhoods; ALMOST 38 per cent would like to see cheaper tickets, and SAFETY was the lowest-ranked issue of concern. While the RAA supported the State Government's $1.5 billion infrastructure investments - such as railway line upgrades - Mr Borlace said the survey clearly showed more should be done. He said public transport routes were too "radial," resulting in many trips between suburbs having to be made by travelling into and then out of the CBD. "Services need to make travel between suburbs more direct," he said. There also needs to be a roll-out of real-time arrival information provided across the network at all bus stops as well as on (electronic device) apps. People need this information (or) they get burnt by services not running according to the timetable and they'll go back to the reliability of using a car. The need for better communication was highlighted just before Christmas by Transport Services Minister Chloe Fox, who said the department let commuters down by failing to pass on information about a series of service interruptions on three different rail lines in three days. But the Transport Department defended the network's "radial nature," saying it "reflects the high patronage demand for services to and from the city, particularly in peak times." A spokeswoman said: "The department recognises the diversity in people's travel patterns and provides a number of feeder services to connect with key public transport corridors and interchanges." The Opposition said the closure of the Noarlunga and Belair lines during Sunday's Adelaide Strikers Big Bash League cricket game highlighted the lack of consistent services. Shadow Transport and Infrastructure minister Vickie Chapman promised a Liberal government would increase patronage by "delivering what people want - safe, clean and, most importantly, reliable services." She added: "The current State Government is failing to deliver any of those - and that's why people have turned away from public transport." in the past two years." Business and industry agree on the need for greater patronage of buses, trains and trams. SA Freight Council CEO Neil Murphy said it was one strategy for "reducing congestion." to the benefit of all road users." And Business SA said people should be encouraged to use public transport, not be be pushed on to it by the Government's city car park tax, the Government's parking tax in the city's CBD. which it felt was counter to creating a "vibrant city." "We support greater patronage but not through a car park tax because it wont help create a more vibrant city," Business SA director of policy Rick Cairney said.