Docklanders don’t drive

By Georgina Scambler

Docklands residents are abandoning their cars and finding alternative ways to get around.

2011 census data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed 27 per cent of Docklands households did not have a motor vehicle, compared with 19 per cent in 2006.

In the Greater Melbourne area, only 9 per cent of dwellings did not have a motor vehicle at the time of the census.

Locals are instead taking advantage of our central location and walking to work.
Between 2006 and 2011 the numbers of people walking or taking the train or tram to work all increased, while the percentage riding their bicycle remained steady at around 1.5 per cent.

While only 3.3 per cent of Victorians walked to work in 2011, in Docklands a whopping 27 per cent made their way to the office on foot.

Despite the large number of vehicle-free residences, driving was still the most popular method of transport to work for Docklanders, with 33 per cent travelling by car.

However, this was only half the 66 per cent across Victoria who travelled to work by car, either as driver or passenger.

The percentage driving to work also decreased since 2006, when 40 per cent of working Docklands residents used their cars.