With council-managed roads making up around 85% of the Australian road network,12 local government has a bigger role to play in identifying and delivering transport improvements when and where they will make the greatest impact.
The Australian Government, and state and territory governments should ensure councils extract the most possible benefits, and build long-lasting capability, when they receive transport investment funding through stimulus spending and other programs.
To maximise the reach of active travel and other transport networks that cross local government area boundaries, funding programs for jurisdictions with relatively small-sized local government areas should be structured to encourage joint projects between adjacent councils.
Councils also need government support to develop professional capabilities for place-based transport planning and project delivery.13
Depending on local needs, this could involve:
• staff secondments
• participation in cross-sector, place-based governance arrangements (for example, City Deal arrangements, which bring councils together with other stakeholders to take coordinated action for an urban area)
• providing training and resources through professional organisations.