Although there’s never been a strong tradition of cycling in Australia's capitals like there is in many European cities, the availability of battery powered bicycles and scooters is potentially a game-changer
The start of the year is an opportune time to take a big-picture view of the state of passenger transport in Australia’s major urban areas. The key challenge for policy-makers is to "tame" the car
For the last 14 years car travel in Melbourne grew slower than both population and public transport travel, but it's still increasing in absolute terms
The prospect of autonomous vehicles causes worry but they might provide public and shared modes of transport with a big boost in competitiveness relative to private vehicles
Melbourne City Council wants to ban above-ground parking in new developments but doesn't have a clue what the wider implications of such a change might be
Once the difficult transition period when human controlled vehicles are still common is over, a world of fully driverless vehicles should be a lot different from today
Politicans like to sell new roads and rail lines as the solution to traffic congestion but it's an illusion. There are no quick or politically easy fixes for peak-hour traffic
Driving will inevitably continue to have a huge impact on the liveability of Australia's growing cities - policy-makers must stop ignoring the car and start "taming" it
There are a number of key criticisms of congestion charging; they carry weight and must be addressed in implementation, but no, they're not fatal flaws
Congestion charging shouldn't be peremptorily written off as inequitable without examining closely how it would work and who the likely winners and losers would be