Melbourne, have your say on your city’s transport future

Melbourne has been doing a bit of thinking about its future, and it is looking for help from its citizens. In a series of discussion papers the city has outlined what it sees as the main issues and opportunities, and has put together questions for the public, along with welcoming any open feedback.

All of this is part of a larger initiative on the council’s Participate Melbourne section of its website. For transport, Melbourne is considering how best to navigate toward the year 2050. Here’s why, and what it’s looking to do:

With the daily population in the city forecast to increase from 911,000 today to 1.4 million by 2036, bold decisions will need to be made about how space is designed and used in the future. We need to change the way we plan, operate and think about transport to ensure our city remains a great place for people.

The Transport Strategy refresh will be a 10 year document with a 30 year vision to guide City of Melbourne decision making regarding transport. It will include ambitious targets and align with council goals.

The first four discussion papers published are about:

• Emerging technology
• Public transport
• Walking
• City space

How to make best use of emerging technology to help Melbourne’s roads

Whether it’s congestion now, or its population future, Melbourne, like many cities, is in need of planning on how to make optimum use of its road network. And emerging technology is certain to help. But what technologies, when should they be introduced, and how? What should Melbourne learn from other cities?

Here’s what the city thinks are the main issues and opportunities in the area of road transport:

• More cars on the road
• Shared mobility
• Mobility as a Service
• Data security
• New freight systems and vehicles
• Smart sensors

And these are the questions Melbourne City Council would like answered by its citizens.

What if…

• Empty driverless cars paid a fee to use the road, preventing increased congestion?
• Smart sensors halved time that buses and trams spent waiting for cars at traffic lights?
• Deliveries were made by robots on the ground and in the air, reducing congestion?
• For a monthly fee, people could access public transport, ride hailing, bike and car share via an app?
• Driverless cars were regulated to move out of the way for buses and trams?

If you’d like to participate in this discussion, here’s the link: