Modelling cycling investments in regional areas

The Victorian State Government adopted a formal commitment of a 25% of walking or bike riding trips target by 2030. Fast-tracking the development of the bike riding network is a significant State priority over the next seven years.

Turbo-charging bicycle infrastructure investments in regional areas is of high strategic importance. However, with the immense geographic scale of the state, it can be difficult to ascertain what investments should be prioritised.

There is a unique research opportunity to develop a framework for modelling benefits of bike/bicycle infrastructure investments and design a project prioritisation tool to generate evidence and compare benefits.

There is also a critical lack of bicycle infrastructure planning focus on regional spatial equity in Australia.

To achieve this, the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) and the City of Greater Bendigo are partnering with RMIT University to develop the Victoria Bicycle Simulation and Prioritisation Modelling tool with a case study in Bendigo, that combines spatial, infrastructure and safety data integration, demand forecasting and econometric scenario projections.

Participants

• Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria)
• RMIT University
• City of Greater Bendigo

Project background

The Victorian Cycling Strategy 2019-2028 prioritises Strategic Cycling Corridors for investment to deliver safer, more direct bicycle infrastructure into and across Victoria.

In Victoria, DTP, and various local governments, are actively working towards getting more people to ride their bikes for transport purposes – to work, school, public transport and shops – in Melbourne and the regions.

Recognising the potential for positive change, they are committed to overcoming limitations in data availability and transparency. This will ensure evidence-based informed strategic investments that will pave the way for a flourishing and secure bike riding network in the regions.

Using advanced transport modelling approaches will support prioritisation and guide bicycle infrastructure investments. This will subsequently provide significant sustainable transport benefits for regional Victorian communities.

DTP is partnering with RMIT and the City of Greater Bendigo to develop the Victoria Bicycle Simulation and Prioritisation Modelling tool with a case study in Bendigo, that combines spatial, infrastructure and safety data integration, demand forecasting and econometric scenario projections. This tool will be able to predict travel demand and quantify access, health, environmental and safety benefits generated by new cycling infrastructures.

This tool will support streamlined decision-making and funding authorising environments for investment to deliver safer, more direct bicycle infrastructure programs. The tool will also allow planners to better articulate the benefits of proposed cycling projects when discussing and advocating for investment, providing decisionmakers with the information required to make high- quality evidence informed decisions.

The following policy and legislation have driven the need for this project:

• The Transport Integration Act, 2010 (TIA) – Victoria’s principal transport Act, which is designed to influence the future development of the broad range of transport legislation and governance of the transport network.
• The Victorian Cycling Strategy 2018-28 – prioritises Strategic Cycling Corridors for investment to deliver safer, more direct bike riding into and across Melbourne and Victoria.
• Plan Melbourne 2017-2050 – sets out the overarching vision for Melbourne’s growth. The establishment of Strategic Cycling Corridors was a direct recommendation of this strategy.
• The Climate Change Act 2017 and the Transport sector emissions reduction pledge 2021—2025 – set out the formal commitment of a 25% of walking or bike riding mode share target by 2030.
• Movement and Place Framework – a tool to translate broad transport objectives of transport legislation into action. It aims to better integrate land use and transport planning by organising transport links by their movement and place classification.

Project objectives

This project’s primary objective is to build decision support tools that can help planners to identify and prioritise bicycle infrastructure investments. The tool will also help to understand and evaluate tangible health, amenity, equity and climate change mitigation and adaptation outcomes for regional Victorian communities through increased levels of active travel.

To deliver this, the project will:

1. Undertake a comprehensive review about the existing bicycle infrastructure modelling in Regional Victoria, at a granular level.
2. Ascertain bike riding demand in regional Victoria using latest state-of-the-art agent-based and activity-based modelling tools.
3. Develop a framework to allow rapid design and prioritisation of bicycle infrastructure development projects, using a bike riding scenario planning tool including socio-economic, health and environmental benefits.

Please note …

This page will be a living record of this project. As it matures, hits milestones, etc., we’ll continue to add information, links, images, interviews and more. Watch this space!