Three eminent speakers attracted a large crowd to this seminar, held on Wednesday 4th April 2018. The seminar was proudly hosted by RMIT University.
Dr Max Lay described how Melbourne’s major roads, highways and freeways came about. A key conclusion was that transport planning had little impact on the processes.
Dr Ray Brindle traced the origins of the “streets not roads” philosophy back to the early days of modern town planning, and reminded us of how it became a cornerstone of Australia’s contribution to traffic calming and road management.
Prof Graeme Davison Current transport decisions are constrained, not only by economics and engineering, but by history – or ‘path determinacy’. This talk reviewed some critical moments along the path that led to Melbourne’s current transport system and asked: what lessons, if any, can be drawn for future transport policy?