Traffic congestion

Congestion charging should be introduced in Australia’s largest cities, as Grattan Institute’s latest report shows. Our analysis also finds that the people who commute to the Melbourne and Sydney CBDs by driving are two to three times as likely to earn six-figure salaries as other Australian workers.

The exploding popularity of e-scooters could reshape mobility in our cities. Regulators need to adapt their approaches to handle the innovation rather than ban it altogether.

Many of our biggest and most costly policy challenges can be resolved if we encourage citizens and the community to use public services differently.

The private cost of driving is much higher than taking public transport, but negatives like traffic congestion and road casualties mean the social cost of driving is similar to the public subsidy for trains and buses.

Interest groups who shout the loudest should not always get their way, says one public transport expert, as a public consultation begins on Melbourne’s streets. When bicycle lanes are proposed, a lack of strategic guidance leaves public servants without clear processes for resolving conflict.