Reviewed every 3 to 5 years, the document aims to advise the Victorian Government and Parliament on how to deliver new infrastructure where it is needed most, and to get the best use from the state’s existing infrastructure. The 211-page document includes draft recommendations on policies, reforms and projects under six main categories: housing, energy, transport, health, social infrastructure and the environment. The 43 draft recommendations are costed at a total of $60 – $75b and are proposed to commence in the next five years.

Ratio generally supports the Infrastructure Victoria Strategy and appreciates the consultative process that Infrastructure Victoria is using to engage with both the private and public sectors when making recommendations. We touched base with our consultants across Transport, Planning, and Waste to find out what stood out to them, what will impact our clients’ projects, and what they’re excited about.

Ben Krastins, Senior Associate: Transport is impressed by the focus on road safety

The biggest takeaways for me from the Infrastructure Victoria Strategy were both the groundbreaking recommendations on public transport and speed limits in local streets.

I am impressed by Recommendation 10 – a rapid transit bus network,  which has the potential to be a game changer for public transport in Melbourne. Focusing on Melbourne’s north, west and south-east, the strategy sets out that similar services in Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide offer another transport choice to access jobs and services, at a fraction of the cost of trams or trains. This seems like a great solution for many of these areas, which are under-serviced by public transport, and the analysis presented shows they deliver benefits of at least $2.60 for each dollar invested.

As someone with a focus on road safety, Infrastructure Victoria are also hitting the target with their proposal for 30km/h speeds on local streets, which we understand to be local roads with existing default 50km/h speed limits (which typically excludes Council collector / State arterial roads). The recommendation will essentially start with the expansion of existing default 40km/h speed limits (at school gates) around schools to cover areas with schools, kindergartens, childcare centres and playgrounds / public open space, and ultimately progress to local roads with default 50km/h speed limits. These recommendations will need to be supported by appropriate infrastructure such as traffic calming (where required to reinforce the lower speed limits) and improved tree canopy on walking routes etc.

I see the recommendation as critical to aligning streets with Safe System design principles. The Safe System approach recognises that people make mistakes – and that Safer Speeds are critical to moving towards the elimination of death and serious injury on our street network.

As the state’s independent advisory body, Infrastructure Victoria have made some great recommendations, and we’re looking forward to seeing how the State Government considers and implements the initiatives put forward.

Associate: Planning, Clare Chadderton is interested in making more of what we already have.

I enjoyed reading the document and the wide range of ideas it explored. I was most interested in what new avenues the infrastructure plan opens up for planning, specifically what development opportunities are brought up by improving such a wide range of infrastructure.

A big focus of the strategy is how to better use and manage what’s already there. For instance, we could use school grounds for other purposes outside of school hours (just one of many ideas like that). As planners, having the mindset of responsibly making more out of what we have already is a great philosophy.

The most impactful recommendations for our clients and projects at Ratio were that the intensification of development around existing transport hubs could be greater than what is currently being proposed. Now is an excellent time for us and our clients to advocate for great development outcomes that make the most of what’s around us.

I found the strategy quite comprehensive, and all the high notes were explored (economy, environment, population growth) except for mental health. According to the Department of Health, 1 in 5 Victorians experience mental health issues each year. I think it would have been beneficial to examine how the infrastructure plans would and could positively impact mental health outcomes for Victorians.

One strategy they raised to better plan for infrastructure into the future is to do more regular infrastructure plans and reviews, which makes a lot of sense to me! I am looking forward to seeing more from Infrastructure Victoria to plan for our growing state.

Director: Transport, Aaron Walley wants to see more regional transport services

The consideration of regional services within the strategy is encouraging and should be a priority for Victoria moving forward.

Currently, there are few viable alternatives for most trips in regional areas, especially local journeys, and those without private vehicles are left without a way to their destination. Regional public transport reform to make services more competitive and attractive by increasing service frequencies, simplifying zones, and lowering fares is critical to growing those major centres mentioned in documents such as the housing statement and Plan for Victoria.

Given the existing road networks available, the most cost-effective and immediate opportunity is to utilise the current infrastructure and rethink our bus networks, prioritising faster and more reliable services.

Leonardo Russi, Associate: Waste Management appreciates the investment in waste infrastructure

Although the Infrastructure Victoria Strategy is a broad, high-level strategy, draft recommendation 38 was of most significant interest to me. It is great to see the Infrastructure Victoria strategy put forward significant investment in essential waste infrastructure towards better resource recovery and local processing, and the proposed statewide integration of systems towards a circular economy of the future. What was even more reassuring for the proposed initiatives was the planning certainty and controls as to where this infrastructure can be operated.

How does it affect my work? The Infrastructure Victoria strategy will help to deliver efficient, cost-effective waste systems across education, health, accommodation, transit and public facility projects – and as waste management consultants, we’ll be a key resource to help design these developments. The increased focus on circularity may change the way projects are conceived and executed, and I’m looking forward to walking our clients through the changes.