No silver bullet to get freight moving

Philip Hopkins

"The vast majority of the goods needed and used by Melburnians will be moved around the city by road for many years to come — and at increasing levels … This reality needs to be accepted by Melburnians."— the Eddington east-west transport study

FREIGHT is the forgotten player when most people think about Melbourne's transport future. Understandably, attention mainly turns to public transport.

But freight will have to be a key part of the State Government's transport plan for Melbourne, which is scheduled to be released soon. Trucks and trains must be on the agenda.

...

Ultimately, the Government's transport plan will be determined by the money available. Public transport alone will be costly, as are freeways and tunnels. It is still unclear what impact the financial crisis will have on government surpluses and credit, and particularly on public-private partnerships.

Read the whole of this (largely pro-Eddington report) article at TheAge.com.au