Environmental sustainability considerations in the framing of the Eddington review/east west link needs assessment recommendations

The recently released Victorian Transport Plan constitutes a significant departure from previous Victorian transport strategies in the integrated approach taken to the development of the public transport system, road network enhancement and upgrade of cycling and pedestrian facilities, combined with measures to reduce transport impacts on both the environment and communities. A key influence of this progressive approach was the Eddington Review, released in 2008 and the associated East West Needs Assessment, conducted for Sir Rod Eddington by the Department of Transport (DoT) and its consultants. This paper describes the environmental and sustainability study conducted for the East West Needs Assessment by consultants Sinclair Knight Merz, in association with Maunsell. The principal role of the study was to provide a strategic evaluation of environmental issues associated with the range of options under consideration to enhance east-west transport linkages in Melbourne. The study also provided input to the DoT study team on sustainability factors to be considered in the formulation of options and developed a sustainability assessment framework that was applied to the assessment and short-listing of identified road network development and public transport system initiatives. The paper focusses on the sustainability aspects of the study. Strategic sustainability factors explored early in the study process meant that climate change and greenhouse issues were comprehensively assessed and considered in the formulation of the East West Needs Assessment recommendations. A sustainability assessment framework also assisted in the analysis of options from a triple bottom line perspective. The study recommendations comprised a balanced set of transport initiatives, featuring significant rail infrastructure development proposals, a road tunnel proposal to reduce Melbourne's reliance on the Westgate Bridge and to improve access to the Port of Melbourne, measures to enhance the efficiency of the existing rail, tram, bus and road networks and measures to reduce the impacts of freight movements in residential areas. The recommendations also highlighted the need to reduce GHG emissions from transport, including adoption of more stringent vehicle emission standards and examination of ways to ensure that sustainable transport modes of travel (such as trams, cycles and pedestrians) benefit from the additional capacity provided by recomended road projects.