Importance of funding active transport infrastructure in Merri-bek budget to 2027

Separated Upfield Bike Path past Moreland Station

On behalf of Climate Action Merribek I sent in a submission to Merri-bek Council on their draft budget 2023-2027 on May 19. You can read the CAMerribek submission in full: Major backtrack on active transport projects in Draft Merri-bek Council Budget jeopardizes Climate Targets.  

Tonight, 29 May 2023, I fronted before Council Budget committee to speak to this presentation. There were a substantial number of submissions on Council Budget, evidently more than half focussed on the need for funding for more active transport infrastructure as a priority with many people opting to speak in person or online to Council on their submission.

My speech is below. As I only had 2 minutes to deliver, I excised a few paragraphs as marked with brackets, and still went slightly over..

There were some excellent presentations from citizens from Glenroy, Fawkner, Coburg North, Coburg, Brunswick West and Brunswick highlighting different facets of the problem, often with personal stories.

I have also included key findings of a new Climate Council report on Decarbonising Transport which support my presentation arguments and that of the CAMerribek submission.

Shift Away from 'Car-Centric' Transport System needed | Climate of the Nation 2022

The shift away from 'car-centric' system and car dependency is needed to address transport emissions. That means funding public transport, walking and cycling to adequate levels.

The UN recommends that 20 per cent of the transport budget should be allocated to walking and cycling. Here in Australia it is usually less than 1 per cent.

There is a huge potential here for mobility behaviour change, if the infrastructure is put in place. Some 78 percent of people are in the interested but concerned cohort (Pearson 2022). Recent statistics from RACV show that bikes are now outselling cars.

The Climate of the Nation survey has been done each year since 2007. This year it included a section on transport and transport emissions.

Australians believe 20% of government transport spending should go to active transport, the same as the minimum recommended by the United Nations.

Three-fifths (62%) support having a national subsidy scheme for bikes, e-bikes or cargo bikes, and three-quarters (75%) support electrifying state bus fleets by 2030.