4.1 Recommendation 

Maximise the overall benefits of transport investments by aligning transport programs with place-based objectives. 

Proposed sponsor: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications 

Supported by: State and territory planning departments, state and territory transport departments, state and territory infrastructure bodies, local governments

When this should impact:

Where this should impact:

4.1.1 Maximise the place-shaping impacts of transport investment by linking transport infrastructure funding decisions to published population and land use objectives. 

Proposed lead: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications 

Supported by: Centre for Population, state and territory planning departments, state and territory transport departments, state and territory demographers

Enable a consistent approach by all jurisdictions to the development of nationally significant transport infrastructure proposals by specifying the use of: 

•  an agreed and consistent set of land use and transport modelling tools that meet minimum functional standards 

•  common inputs, including population scenarios. 

Proposed lead: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications 

Supported by: Centre for Population

Prepare place-based visions that identify credible population and land use scenarios. Incorporate measurable objectives for proposed transport projects to contribute to the sustainability of community and user outcomes for a defined area. 

Proposed lead: State and territory planning departments 

Supported by: State and territory transport departments

Align investment with place-based objectives by requiring that the proponents of nationally significant transport infrastructure projects reference a published place-based vision for the relevant linear corridor or broader geographic area in their business cases. 

Proposed lead: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications

4.1.2 Ensure the most cost-effective mobility and land use outcomes from transport expenditure by tying transport budgets to the achievement of specified movement and place performance standards.

Proposed lead: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications

Supported by: ATAP Steering Committee Secretariat, Austroads, state and territory transport departments, local governments

Enable the achievement of consistent and predictable results from transport expenditure by developing a nationally uniform movement and place framework and associated performance standards for the function of links in a multimodal transport network hierarchy. 

•  Ensure the movement and place framework aligns with the National Service Level Standards Framework for Roads. 

•  Specify performance standards in the Australian Transport Assessment and Planning Guidelines

Proposed lead: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications

Supported by: ATAP Steering Committee Secretariat, state and territory transport departments

Ensure that road authorities select, design, manage and operate road projects in line with their function under a uniform movement and place framework by updating the Guide to Traffic Management to incorporate nationally consistent performance standards.

Proposed lead: Austroads

Supported by: State and territory transport departments

Maximise the benefits of public expenditure by making the allocation of all Australian Government transport program funds to jurisdictions subject to the demonstrated achievement of specified and agreed movement and place outcomes.

Proposed lead: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications

Apply nationally consistent performance standards by aligning the administrative classification of existing roads with their movement and place role.

Proposed lead: State and territory transport departments

Supported by: Local governments

4.1.3 Bring forward the benefits of transport investments, in a context of uncertain and changing user needs, by promoting and facilitating the incremental delivery of transport services, corridors and networks as separable stages.

Proposed lead: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications

Supported by: ATAP Steering Committee, Centre for Population, Infrastructure Australia, state and territory infrastructure bodies, state and territory transport departments

Ensure the economic analysis of proposed transport investments, and other infrastructure decision-making processes, take account of significant shifts in user preferences and travel behaviours, by updating the Australian Transport Assessment and Planning Guidelines to:

•  reflect changes to settlement and working patterns catalysed by the COVID-19 pandemic

•  consider the impacts of new transport technologies and business models (including Mobility as a Service) on how people travel and freight is transported

•  facilitate incremental investment in transport services, corridors and networks.

Proposed lead: ATAP Steering Committee Secretariat

Supported by: Centre for Population, state and territory transport departments, state and territory demographers

Promote the staged delivery of major transport corridor projects by updating assurance frameworks as required to assess business cases for multi-modal investment programs and monitoring their implementation.

Proposed lead: Infrastructure Australia

Supported by: State and territory infrastructure bodies

Support incremental and demand-led transport network development, including the staged introduction of different public transport modes to cost-effectively grow the patronage base for these services, by executing new and updated Australian Government funding instruments with state and territory jurisdictions that commit to a multi-year staged funding approach. Take this approach under Federation Funding Agreements and place-based agreements.

Proposed lead: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications

Supported by: State and territory transport departments

4.1.4 Increase the combined impact of existing transport funding allocations on safety, capacity, accessibility, connectivity and user experience outcomes by coordinating discrete maintenance and upgrade programs for roads, pathways and interchanges.

Proposed lead: State and territory transport departments

Supported by: Local governments

To ensure available funding delivers the greatest possible user and local economic activity benefits, identify and address multimodal transport network gaps under partnership programs that integrate periodic maintenance with the completion of minor missing links.

Proposed lead: State and territory transport departments

Supported by: Local governments

For urban areas, deliver quick wins for users and relieve pressures on congested roads by prioritising minor 'missing link' projects that upgrade walking and cycling networks and improve the accessibility and amenity of public transport interchanges.

Proposed lead: State and territory transport departments

Supported by: Local governments

4.1.5 Maximise the collective benefits from local governments' transport investments by reorienting funding programs towards specified end-to-end journey outcomes.

Proposed lead: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications

Supported by: State and territory transport departments, local governments

Where required, bring forward the completion of cross-boundary local transport networks that meet users' short journey needs and prioritise funding support under place-based agreements for partnerships of two or more councils working together.

Proposed lead: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications

Supported by: State and territory transport departments, local governments

Help councils to develop their capabilities in planning, prioritising and procuring local transport infrastructure and services that enable increased public transport and active travel use.

Proposed lead: State and territory transport departments

Supported by: Local governments

Help councils to accelerate the delivery of public transport and active travel infrastructure early in the life of new urban areas by ensuring timely access to developer contributions, value-sharing mechanisms and/or low-cost borrowing facilities.

Proposed lead: State and territory transport departments

Supported by: Local governments