Decarbonisation of Road Transport Network Operations in Australia and New Zealand

There is a considerable focus on vehicle electrification as the primary driver of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the roads sector. Austroads commissioned the development of this Issues Paper to assess the specific relevance of the greenhouse gas emissions issue from the point of view of  road transport network operations, to frame the role that road network transport operations play in supporting the state and national ambitions for emissions reduction, and identify network management levers for consideration by decision makers. The paper has been developed to help direct the Network Task Force’s knowledge sharing and future research program. The paper identifies the global climate trajectories and the Paris Agreement goal to limit temperature increase to no more than 1.5°C. It explores the Australia and New Zealand policy landscape and level of ambition. It analyses the contribution of transport and the road sector to greenhouse gas emissions in Australia and New Zealand and reviews opportunities for contributing to net zero emissions in the context of electric vehicle take-up. The paper highlights the need for a strategic re-balancing of priorities to include  greenhouse gas emissions reduction as a key consideration in all road network transport operations thinking and decision, alongside road safety and transport network efficiency and productivity.