What
will the Brumby Transport Plan mean for Melbourne?
On 10 December 2008, community representatives gave their responses to the Victorian Transport Plan at a forum held by the GAMUT Centre at the University of Melbourne.
Speakers at the forum assessed the content of the Plan against a set of principles that GAMUT believes should underpin Melbourne’s transport and urban development.
These principles recognised the need for:
- annual transport greenhouse emissions to show a downward trend by 2015
- medium and long-term transport sector greenhouse gas emission reduction in the order of 80% below 1990 levels
- transport greenhouse emissions to decrease at a similar rate to other sectors
- alternatives to the private car to address growing social isolation and health problems caused by the lack of access to jobs, services and community
- a substantial mode shift away from private car travel in addition to a rapid move to cleaner vehicles.
Speaking at the forum, GAMUT Director, Prof Nick Low said that “key areas of the content of the Plan reveal whether it is likely to achieve outcomes consistent with the above principles.
“Abandoning the urban growth boundary raises fears that Melbourne will become even more car dependent.
“We were looking for:
- an immediate moratorium on expansion of the capacity of the freeway network for private cars
- changes in the design and delivery of public transport services, implemented in a short time-frame across most of Melbourne’s existing urban form, to achieve significant modal shift to public transport
- real commitment to shifting a significant proportion of port related freight off roads and onto rail.”
Podcasts of the short presentations made by participants at the forum can be found here:
| Name | Organisation |
| Tony Morton | PTUA |
| Jo Connellan | MTF |
| Mark Wakeham | Environment Victoria |
| Cath Smith | VCOSS |
| Natalie Zirngast | Coalition of Transport Action Groups |
| Jason Black | PIA |
| Alex Makin | Eastern transport Coalition |
| Liz Boulton | Logistick Pty Ltd |
| Janet Rice | Prominent Resident |
| Brian Walters SC | Protectors of Public Lands |