The Melbourne Consensus

One of the most intellectually exciting parts of this experience has been to engage with some serious debates about the future of transportation infrastructure in Australian cities and be able to engage with an openness that can only come from not having a personal or professional stake in the outcome. This is the first of two posts of my observations about the investment future of Melbourne and Sydney.

Melbourne and the State of Victoria seem to have largely reached a consensus on the future of infrastructure development. Calls are coming from inside and outside of government for considerable investment in public transportation, making the most of the existing road network, filling critical gaps in the road network and paying close attention to how infrastructure investment can drive development patterns. Some of the key players, including the Committee for Melbourne (similar to Select Greater Philadelphia), Vic Roads, the Victoria Department of Transportation, the recently created Public Transport Victoria and the Royal Automotive Club of Victoria have all expressed similar visions and priorities.  Each organization acknowledges funding constraints, while painting a picture of how transportation infrastructure can shape the region.

Vic Roads is smartly focusing on how to best leverage the existing road network through its SmartRoads program. Vic Roads exemplifies the best in thinking across transportation modes from what is at its core a highway department.  Gary Liddle, the Vic Roads CEO, explained to me that he is working to evolve the organization from a purveyor of transportation infrastructure to a provider of transportation services for people and goods.  Fundamental to providing that service is the maintenance and expansion of the infrastructure, but infrastructure that doesn’t move people and goods is meaningless. The short video below outlines the SmartRoads approach.  

In the US, the SSTI initiative is comprised of state DOT’s that are flirting with these ideas, but I would argue haven’t been provided the political space to advance them.

The consensus bodes well for Victoria being able to make investment rhetoric a reality.