But Skye is not alone. The car is still first choice for many in Melbourne's growth areas, where public transport remains scarce despite swelling populations, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data released last week. The map below shows the proportion of journeys to work in a suburb that are by car: Across greater Melbourne, more than 1.3 million people, or 74 per cent, rely solely on cars to get to work. This compares with just 13 per cent using public transport. The Andrews government has started building the $11 billion Melbourne Metro Tunnel – a project set to boost rail patronage by 39,000 people by running three of the busiest lines through a new tunnel.

But that's nine years away. By then, Melbourne's population will have grown to nearly 6 million. Motorists enduring traffic woes on the West Gate Bridge will see no reprieve for another five years, if the government's proposed $5.5 billion toll road, the West Gate Tunnel – which would provide an alternative to the bridge – goes ahead. Meanwhile, plans are still being finalised for another tollway, the North East Link, designed to reduce congestion in the north. So what's Melbourne's short-term transport plan? Do we have one?

Boosting bus services from more than 30 to every10 minutes, granting buses priority lanes to avoid delays, and redirecting inefficient routes, are quick-fix solutions, said Monash University public transport professor Graham Currie. "It's easy to blame a lack of competition in the industry dominated by family-run legacy businesses, but ultimately, the government needs to invest in more bus services." 2. Encouraging carpooling Carpooling has taken off in Europe, but is yet to be embraced by Melburnians. Fitting three people per car instead of one would alleviate traffic, said veteran traffic and civil engineer Des Grogan, but people needed to be encouraged through access to transit lanes and an exemption from road tolls.

Under-used car-parking facilities at Werribee, Sandown and Flemington racecourses could also be used for shared cars, while drop-off and pick-up locations could be distributed across the CBD or the city fringe during the peak, Mr Grogan said. Riders could book a car on an app, and the option should be offered by taxis, he said. 3. Ten-minute train services A new station in a marginal seat impresses voters with "shiny infrastructure", but a boost to services is urgently needed, Public Transport Users Association secretary Dr Tony Morton said.

Increasing train services to every 10 minutes has already been carried out on the Dandenong and Frankston lines between peak periods, but it should be available to commuters across the network, Dr Morton said. The move would increase driver employment and would not require any new infrastructure or rolling stock, making this the easiest and cheapest way to boost the train network. 4. Road charges The TomTom Traffic Index ranks Melbourne as the 58th most congested city in the world, not far below New York and Seattle. Melbourne University economist Dr Leslie Martin recently analysed how 1400 Melburnians responded to congestion and cordon charges.

The study found that when participants were charged for using busy roads during peak hour, those drivers chose another route to avoid the penalty. This proved that the charges worked, Dr Martin said. Discounting vehicle registration fees and petrol taxes would ease the burden on low-income earners, who were not major contributors to road congestion, she said. 5. Improve bike access to trains Improving bike parking at tram stops and train stations is one simple way to boost public transport use, said transport infrastructure expert Dr Chris Hale. In a 2014 research paper, Dr Hale identified Melbourne train stations that were most commonly accessed by cyclists. He found that, among them, only 4 to 7.5 per cent of the station's commuters travelled there on bikes.

The figures still remain low today, said Dr Hale, as Melbourne's cycling infrastructure largely benefits "CBD-bound, long-distance commuter cycling, which is largely for very fit males". Solutions include building dedicated and protected bike lanes linking to stations and allowing commuters to take bikes on trams on quiet lines outside of the CBD in the off-peak. With Craig Butt and Clay Lucas