• Over half the infrastructure stimulus funding governments provided as the pandemic took hold was available to transport projects.20 The enduring transport benefits of these investments must be captured beyond providing an immediate boost for the construction industry. Transport investment must be tied to long-term plans that lay down specific, place-based targets for freight productivity, access to jobs and services, and population change.
• The past five years have seen a significant upswing in Australians pursuing a regional lifestyle as technology changed work/life balance and normalised working from home. This trend was further accelerated by the pandemic.21 Growing regions could take pressure off congested cities and benefit the bush, and it is now time to bring these centres closer together through better regional transport - including air and rail.
• During the pandemic, walking and biking boomed. In some areas, cycling doubled year-on-year.22 Making active travel safe and fun for all will drive more growth. Combining these travel modes with mass transit for long-distance Journeys and demand-responsive last-mile bus services will create a new form of urban living where people do not rely on car use.
• Before the 2021 Plan is halfway through its 15-year timespan, petroleum fuel excise could be half what it was 20 years ago and vehicles could be travelling double the kilometres.23 24 Australia's population is less than one tenth that of the United States, but it maintains nearly twice the length of existing road for every person.25 Without first reforming transport pricing to achieve a step change in productivity, this country cannot afford to keep expanding the national transport network.