The year 2030 may not seem far away, but a decade is a long time in technological terms. Widespread automation, electrification, and connectivity are set to revolutionise the car of the future.
The world’s first commercial hydrogen-fuelled train in Germany.
David Hecker/EPA
Investment is pouring into urban technology, much of it into innovative ventures that aim to transform how we get around our cities.
Most transport resources are being used inefficiently. The Canberra Transport Photo shows the road space required to move 69 people using public transport, bicycles and private motor vehicles.
Cycling Promotion Fund
Blind belief that new technology and disruptive innovation will fix congestion in our cities overlooks the need for strong leadership that supports progressive policy innovation.
Autonomous vehicles are coming to our cities – in fact, driverless buses are already on the road in Adelaide.
David Mariuz/AAP
To maximise the benefits and limit the costs, the use of autonomous vehicles should be pooled and their access to the city restricted.
This Melbourne traffic jam shows the system’s vulnerability to congestion. A data-based integrated transport approach may help it cope better with inevitable disruptions.
Julian Smith/AAP
Roads versus public transport: for decades, these have been the battle lines in debates over transport in our cities. But a revolution in mobility is under way that will transform our thinking.
Using elements of game play, we can create incentives for people to change how and when they make various transport choices in ways that enable the whole system to work better.
The report criticises the state’s failure to adequately integrate the planning of land use development and transport priorities, but falls into the same trap itself.
AAP/Melanie Foster
Infrastructure Australia’s latest report is substantial but, critically, it fails to incorporate the transport thinking needed to develop more compact cities that work better for everyone.