Eddington Transport Report, Victoria
Encyclopedia
The "Investing in Transport - East West Link Needs Assessment" or Eddington Transport Report or Sir Rod Eddington Plan was a major transport study undertaken in Victoria, Australia, by Sir Rod Eddington in 2007 concentrating on solutions for transportation in Melbourne with a primary focus on reducing congestion of road transport in Victoria.
The report was commissioned by the Government of Victoria
following the model of the Eddington Transport Study
in the United Kingdom
and generated a substantial amount of controversy including several public protests
.
The focus of the report was an east-west needs assessment, studying transport demand between the east and west of Melbourne. Part of the concern was the limited options for travel across the city and congestion on the West Gate Freeway
and Eastern Freeway.
He claimed that car owners were not sensitive to rising fuel costs and would continue to pay for the convenience of point-to-point travel.
Some key points included:
The Eddington report drew substantial criticism:
.
The key Eddington proposal, the controversial road tunnel, was ignored by the state government in the short term. Instead the government proposed to complete the outer metropolitan ring road first proposed in the 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan
, including a tunnel through Greensborough
.
The government did, however, pursue some of Eddington's ideas as part of the plan, including the large inner city rail tunnel, requesting funding from the Government of Australia
, and also the Port of Melbourne freight road tunnel.
The report was commissioned by the Government of Victoria
Government of Victoria
The Government of Victoria, under the Constitution of Australia, ceded certain legislative and judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but retained complete independence in all other areas...
following the model of the Eddington Transport Study
Eddington Transport Study
The Eddington Transport Study is an examination, by Sir Rod Eddington, of the impact of transport decisions on the economy and the environment of the United Kingdom, with recommendations on how the transport network should be modernised...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and generated a substantial amount of controversy including several public protests
Demonstration (people)
A demonstration or street protest is action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause; it normally consists of walking in a mass march formation and either beginning with or meeting at a designated endpoint, or rally, to hear speakers.Actions such as...
.
The focus of the report was an east-west needs assessment, studying transport demand between the east and west of Melbourne. Part of the concern was the limited options for travel across the city and congestion on the West Gate Freeway
West Gate Freeway
West Gate Freeway is a freeway in Melbourne, Australia, linking Geelong to Melbourne CBD and beyond. It is also a link between Melbourne and the west and linking industrial and residential areas west of the Yarra River with the city and port areas. The iconic West Gate Bridge is a part of the...
and Eastern Freeway.
Findings
Eddington made several assumptions based on predictions of growth in car and public transport use. His report assumed a scenario in which private car mode would substantially increase (or at the very least stay the same) and that public transport usage would stay the same (or possibly even decline).He claimed that car owners were not sensitive to rising fuel costs and would continue to pay for the convenience of point-to-point travel.
Summary of recommendations
The proposal totaled over A$18 billion in costs.Some key points included:
- A controversial 18 km road tunnel network linking inner city Footscray, VictoriaFootscray, VictoriaFootscray is a suburb 5 km west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maribyrnong. At the 2006 Census, Footscray had a population of 11,401....
, and Abbotsford, VictoriaAbbotsford, VictoriaAbbotsford is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. At the 2006 Census, Abbotsford had a population of 4,327....
(a road proposed by road lobby groups and the EWLNA) - Peninsula Link freeway system
- A road freight tunnel linking to the Port of MelbournePort of MelbourneThe Port of Melbourne is Australia's busiest port for containerised and general cargo. It is located in Melbourne, Victoria and covers an area at the mouth of the Yarra River, downstream of Bolte Bridge, which is at the head of Port Phillip, as well as several piers on the bay itself...
- 17 kilometre rail tunnel between Footscray, VictoriaFootscray, VictoriaFootscray is a suburb 5 km west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maribyrnong. At the 2006 Census, Footscray had a population of 11,401....
, and Caulfield, VictoriaCaulfield, VictoriaCaulfield is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Glen Eira...
, running through the CBD and the Domain interchange - A new rail line from Werribee to Deer Park
Criticism
- Residents in Kensington, VictoriaKensington, VictoriaKensington is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Melbourne...
, feared losing their homes and public parklands along the Maribyrnong RiverMaribyrnong riverThe Maribyrnong River rises about 50 km north of Melbourne, Victoria , near Mount Macedon. It flows generally southward and combines with the Yarra River to flow into Port Phillip....
and Royal ParkRoyal Park, MelbourneRoyal Park is the largest of Melbourne's inner city parks . It is located north of the Melbourne Central Business District, Victoria, Australia, in the suburb of Parkville....
and there were several public protests - Environmental groups criticised a lack of regard for greenhouse emissions, which would substantially increase under the Eddington plan
- The continued imbalance favouring road spending over public transport was criticised by transport and environmental groups, including the RACV
- The rail tunnel idea was opposed by the Public Transport Users AssociationPublic Transport Users AssociationThe Public Transport Users Association is a community-based public transport lobby group in Victoria, Australia, based in Melbourne.- History and Aims :...
who said it was not needed and that a less costly but more effective option would be to upgrade signalling and build more extensions into car-dependent regions. The PTUA criticised the report for failing to consider suburban rail options still not implemented from the 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan1969 Melbourne Transportation PlanThe 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan was a road and rail transport plan for Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia instituted by Henry Bolte's state government...
including the Rowville Railway Line and the Doncaster Railway Line which would have relieved much of the eastern congestion and cost less than the proposed rail tunnel. Others questioned why an Airport Rail Link was also overlooked. - The Eddington report neglected to investigate above ground options. A competing proposal for a Maglev train was prepared in response to the Eddington report which would have achieved mass transit covering a much larger area for a much smaller cost ($8 billion as opposed to $8.5 billion for the East-West road tunnel) (see Melbourne Maglev Proposal). However, the government was quick to dismiss the Maglev mass transit option as unnecessary and impractical.
Implementation
The government released its final decisions in the Victorian Transport PlanVictorian Transport Plan
The Victorian Transport Plan is a now defunct transport planning framework for the state of Victoria, Australia announced on Monday 9 December 2008 by then Premier of Victoria, John Brumby...
.
The key Eddington proposal, the controversial road tunnel, was ignored by the state government in the short term. Instead the government proposed to complete the outer metropolitan ring road first proposed in the 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan
1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan
The 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan was a road and rail transport plan for Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia instituted by Henry Bolte's state government...
, including a tunnel through Greensborough
Greensborough, Victoria
Greensborough is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 17 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Banyule. At the 2006 Census, Greensborough had a population of 20,214....
.
The government did, however, pursue some of Eddington's ideas as part of the plan, including the large inner city rail tunnel, requesting funding from the Government of Australia
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
, and also the Port of Melbourne freight road tunnel.