By The Editor
While the idea of a regional superhighway may not inspire the same excitement as a flying man in a cape – such a project is vital to manage Victoria’s “super-sized” population of the future.
Based on current projections, Victoria’s population is expected to increase by 74% to reach 7 million by 2036, with Melbourne itself reaching that mark in 2049. This rapid growth means Melbourne will surpass Sydney as the largest city in Australia by 2028.
According to VECCI CEO Wayne Kayler-Thomson, this holds great benefits for Victoria, but the right infrastructure is integral to managing the increased demands of a large population:
“Population pressures and world trade growth over the next 20 years will bring benefits to Victoria but put enormous pressure on our key infrastructure, particularly transport and water
“Our liveability and economic viability will be compromised if we do not invest in infrastructure. For example, we are no longer rated as the World’s Most Liveable City because of our transport congestion.
“It is important to have a vision of what Victoria should look like when Melbourne becomes Australia’s largest city in the 2020s and plan our infrastructure needs from there.”
“Regional Victoria will have an important part to play in absorbing its share of population growth.”
VECCI’s Infrastructure Task Group Report has made several recommendations for short, medium and long term infrastructure projects to prepare for Melbourne’s population boom.
During the 2009 Victoria Summit, much interest was generated around the recommendation for the construction of a four-lane superhighway to link regional cities and reduce their reliance on Melbourne.
This plan will see a 700-kilometre project connecting Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton and Wangaratta – encouraging intra-regional economic activity and a transition from “blue collar towns” to “lifestyle cities”.
VECCI recommends that work on the superhighway to begin around the time of the next state elections in 2014.
What do you think about Victoria’s infrastructure needs? Do you think Victoria will thrive or barely survive in this projected population boom?
Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment!
west gate bus…
[...]It’s a road…it’s a lane. No, it’s a superhighway. « The VECCI Blog[...]…
[...] projections have indicated that Melbourne may overtake Sydney as Australia’s largest city by 2025. In [...]
Traffic congestion needs a clever new solution – connect Port Phillip Bay’s existing transport links for the first time
Sydney Harbour Bridge – Melbourne needs the same vision. Benefits will far exceed the cost.
The gaps in Melbourne’s ring road need to be filled and a road and rail bridge crossing the entrance to Port Phillip Bay is necessary.
These links would complete a ring road linking “twin cities by the bay” of Geelong and Melbourne with the Mornington Peninsula.
It is the only logical solution. Peak hour traffic could be channelled to flow at the same time, in both directions. This would save travel time by better use existing infrastructure, ease traffic flows, reduce pollution, and spread the impact of population growth over two cities. Savings will be through much greater use of over $200 billion of existing infrastructure, and a consequential reduction in the cost of its constant upgrade or adjustment. An alternative rail and truck route between the new Port of Hastings to the airports and industrial area to west of Melbourne will provide an east-west route allowing some major traffic flows, including many trucks, to by pass Melbourne completely.
Traffic in one direction – empty road in the other? This can change. Avoid gridlock, save fuel, emissions, time and money. Transport corridors on either side of the Bay will connect for the first time. The sooner this is done the better – the more we will save. The east–west route crossing the whole of Victoria will create an enviable production and tourism domain for the whole of Victoria. The ends of the Mornington and Bellarine Peninsula’s can remain relatively untouched whilst enjoying unprecedented new access options.
The cost, which can be justifiably met by the Federal Government, is small compared with the benefits.
The bridge can be an outstanding new icon for Melbourne.
Tourism and significant economic benefits for Victorians – a more regular interstate travel option -from Peter Brohier’s Bass Strait initiatives.
We need to now move to a comprehensive, affordable, consistently priced, all-year basic public transport link using ferries between Victoria and Tasmania – for people, vehicles and freight. This can, with Canberra’s intervention, be fully implemented in days, and linked to the land transport corridor to Hobart. Tasmania could be a common out-of town destination or weekend holiday, like a trip to Switzerland from neighbouring European countries. A shorter route, Hastings to Northern Tasmania, will allow quicker and more economical trips. Basic transport to all that Tasmania has to offer and sporting events in Tasmania will be within easy reach.
Fully eliminating this major omission to the “national integrated surface transport network” will give Victoria three interstate inter-capital transport corridors, not just the existing, two – also justified significant Federal funding. Based on Victoria’s geographical location, it is fully entitled to three links, just like Adelaide. All Australians are entitled to fair access to all states, not just some. Also, fair competition policy, advocated internationally, should apply across the Victorian – Tasmanian border to Victorian manufactured consumables sent south and international exports through Victorian ports. The economic impact on tourism and on many other industries, of all year, consistently priced, transport equity and the movement of interstate travellers through Victoria will be significant. National (sea) Highway policy, uncapped Federal funding, and adequate shipping capacity are available now. Canberra seems close to closing this gap, but needs to go further by locking in comprehensive National Highway equivalence. Federal funding for a complete ring road to connect transport links to three capital cities, Adelaide, Sydney and Hobart can be fully justified, including the cost of the bridge over the Port Phillip heads.
While there would be many benefits from a Regional Superhighway, i think that we should optimise the costs and opportunities of constructing this by making this a full infrastructure corridor.
This corridor should contain, not only the roads, but also rail for freight and passengers, and undergrounded gas, power, water, and telecommunications infrastructure.
This will allow for a State wide focus on significant infrastructure needed for 21st century development, but also allow for decsion making at a strategic level which is designed as a whole and avoids the disconnectedness and cost inefficiencies of infrastructure planning when it is serially developed in Shires or regions alone.
The maintenance of infrastructure in the corridor will be much more efficient and less disruptive and the capacity to make relatively shorter extensions of the various infrastructure modes for local development is both less burdensome and more strategic than the current spot developments.
Hubs could be developed along the corridor to faciltate major logistics and freight distribution centres.
The most significant benefit of this development would be to secure consistent , high quality infrastructure across the State which can flexibly support commerce, industry and agriculture as our population and productive capacities and opportunites change over time.
This way we get the benefits of the road Superghighway, but also signifcantly upgrade and rationalise future infrasructure planning and delivery.
And we do not have to second guess likely development areas of the State as climate change creates both oopprtunites and constraints across our State.
My two comments/opinions for your bloggers :
1. As part of an overall transport plan, dramatic improvements of the highways linking Melbourne and ALL major regional Victorian cities is needed urgently. Vastly improved transport infrastucture, along with greater frequency and range/type of available transport services is vital to the quality of life, business and sustainable growth of Victoria.
2. Air transport should not be forgotten, both regional and to/from Melbourne! As Australia’s 2nd largest city Melbourne MUST be serviced better by Qantas (in effect, Australia’s national airline). For example, why should the CEO’s of Japan’s largest firms have to catch a connecting flight in Brisbane or Sydney to get to/from Melbourne? Is the ongoing downgrading of direct flight destinations to/from Victoria to continue by Qantas, even when Melbourne soon becomes Australia’s largest city?
It is important to note that VECCI’s Infrastructure paper lists many public transport projects, as well as some roads.
We believe it is crucial that roads and public transport are not treated as an either/or proposition – we need both, and people need a choice.
All Victorian regions were taken into account in the drafting of the paper – for example, a Great Ocean Road Interpretative Centre, a Great Ocean Walk and a duplication of the Princes Highway to Colac (the next obvious step being an extension to Warrnambool) were recommended for Warrnambool and the South-West Coast region, and the Riverfront development was supported in Mildura.
The Infrastructure paper is not the end of the conversation but the beginning – we encourage you all to continue discussing further infrastructure projects for examination and support in this comments section.
You can also download the full report here.
No more roads. Fast, reliable public transport is the only option. Honestly!
Agree with Elvira from Mildura, we are on the border of three states. We have two highways in Victoria that service tranport from Mildura, the Calder (to Melbourne) and the Sunraysia (to Ballarat) and both are desperate for upgrading expecially the latter, it is a shocking road. We no longer have a passenger train here and apart from a proposed casino there is nothing else proposed. This is a large regional centre but we are passed over continuously for major public development. Unless you live within 100/150 kms of Melbourne your not in the running.
What a joke, another push by antiquated oil companies, car companies and road building lobby groups to try and prop up the use of cars as our major form of transport. Traveling in the average vehicle for 30mins uses about 100 years of sunlight on 1 acre of forest (Quote from Geoff Lawton, Permaculture Research Institute Australia) This cannot go on for much longer and time is running out. educing the amount of energy we use is paramount. We need to be using the most modern technology to build fast effective rail systems. Modern electromagnetic frictionless monorail technology exsists, why is it not being considered. Even current steel wheel on steel rail is far more efficient than any road transport available. money earmarked for such a project would be far better used invested in sustainable carbon free electricity production and reliable efficient mass transport systems.
Great to see such interesting discussion and opinions around this issue. The superhighway is one part of VECCI’s thoughts on the future needs of Victoria.
In the lead up to the Victoria Summit, we worked in consultation with the community (via forums and face-to-face meetings) to establish key needs and determine practical policy solutions to meet Victoria’s future requirements.
This resulted in 4 Task Group Reports, that aim to prepare Victoria on multiple fronts:
1. Infrastructure – how do we build up our State in the face of growing demands?
2. Innovation & Industry Policy – how do we adapt/evolve policies to meet future needs?
3. Sustainability – how do we ensure sustainability of our environment?
4. Workplace Futures – how do we manage our workforce/place in an ever-evolving landscape?
These questions and more are addressed in our Task Group Reports. To read up on this comprehensive report…
- visit the Summit homepage
- then click on the relevant topic in the left column.
…keep the comments coming, it’s been great to hear what you have to say!
A superhighway to link regional centres without going through Melbourne is a great idea and a first step in the right direction, but it should be a publicly-funded freeway (no more PPP rip-offs, please), with a fast rail (a true, European-style one)running alongside it. However, as long as Melbourne is the only airport in Victoria with daily connection to other capital cities, businesses and jobs will continue to be concentrated there. To complete the package and give decentralisation a chance, an airport with daily connections to all capital cities would be required around the middle section of the proposed road/rail link. The link could then become the foundation for similar connecting freeway/rail links to other centres like Mildura, Portland, Warrnambool. Funding? What about a surcharge on petrol? Provided such impost is exclusively dedicated to the project, I believe most City and Country residents would wear it.
Ken Anderson sees it correctly. Why the mad rush to create the problems that exist in all large cities across the globe – increased and more violent crime, large ‘no-go’ ghettos of the underclass and generally reduced resources to address increasing problems? Bigger populations do not produce better outcomes for society.
Consider the Scandinavian model of lower populations, higher investment in technology and science, commuting by sea rather than land and best practice and functional public transport. The private carbon fuel vehicle is the dinosaur of tomorrow
As a Shepparton Local, this proposed Highway would be a fantastic asset to link us with other regional cities. Also as a Business owner, it will provide us with additional opportunities for growth !
Updating and repair of our roads and infastructure is paramount. We can never stop undertaking to do this – peoples lives are at stake – please don’t forget the Princes Highway in Western Victoria which cuts through a large number of well populated counrty cites and towns. We need vast improvements to this vital link to our region. Our children and your children use this link.
I live in Albury/Wodonga and would totally support a
four lane superhighway from Melbourne to Wodonga.
The speed should be increased to 120km.
I hope it happens in my lifetime, so I can enjoy it.
Once again the Road Transport lobby usurps the practicality of rail transport – sustainability being the first victim. Who wants to guess that the “Superhighway” will be a toll road?
Once again the South West (Warrnambool, Portland)of the state has been forgotten! Why is it that we “just happen” to have the very worst roads in the state, and no reliable public transport?
I can’t understand how they have not joined the Greensborough bypass to the new East link. It would relief the pressure off the West gate bridge and cut the traffic problems enormously. At the moment all the trucks go over the West gate to get to the Hume H’way.
This would join the South to the North relieving traffic congestion to the city.
I believe this is the most important and urgent upgrade out of all the road works to be done.
When are we going to consider climate change and put in better public transport/rail infrastructure? I would have thought by now we’d have had the forethought to look at sustainability well into the future which means less reliance on roads and highways?
Who the hell wants to live in Melbourne when it has 7 million people when we cant even provide enough water,public transport, energy or public safety for our current needs.
Even our planners seem determined to turn the garden state into the concrete state.
M300, midland highway, the way to go Wayne!
too often it is for Melbourne sake.
this attitude has/is short sighted.
the M300 corridor is cheap to live, has skills just as good as the big cities.
Scale can easily be achieved to accommodate efficiencies, People in Melbourne will emigrate to country areas if they realise how good it is.
nowadays it is very eay to commute to Melbourne
keep it going
Only comment is how do you link Gippsland to the Super Highway and the energy and resources we have in the region and capacity to to provide the future food bowl of Victoria. What about public Transport and a rail super highway. If peak oil is of any consequence then this surely this must must be a priorty.
All very interesting, but again Mildura, a large regional country town is left out of the picture. With a proposed Casino??? and other large infrastucture projects what a shame. Also the connection of three state borders. SA, Vic & NSW. what a missed opportunity to connect these states???
I think Victoria will be a much better state, economically and socially, if infrastructure and incentives are provided to ensure there is not only the one major city – Melbourne. We need to ensure there are a number of major population centres, and therefore provide the systems to enable places like Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, etc to become major populations centres.
I am concerned that we continue to focus too many resources into road transport. Again, I believe we would be a much better state if we had a really good, comfortable, fast public transport system, because:
1. Quality of life is better; when we build more roads, they again become congested, and we spend more & more time stuck in cars which are moving very slowly, instead of in a train (or maglev monorail) which moves fast and enables the pursuit of other activities during transit.
2. Fuel for vehicles will become more and more expensive
3. It is very inefficient to travel in a car made for 4-5 people, when there is very often just one occupant.
A really good maglev transport system in Victoria would be best practice, and would present Victoria as a highly efficent, livable, state of the future, and would encourage the advancing of the state in many other ways.