VLC was commissioned by the client to produce modelling and analysis for the Australian Infrastructure Audits in both 2015 and 2019.

 

Australian Infrastructure Audit – 2019

VLC forecast potential transport outcomes and the effects of projected population growth on our future transport infrastructure through to 2031.

 

Client requirements

Infrastructure Australia commissioned 2016 and 2031 multi-modal results for six cities, including metrics for congestion, public transport crowding, and social infrastructure. Additionally, a road-user charge scenario was implemented for all six city models. VLC’s work informs Infrastructure Australia’s 2019 Infrastructure Audit and was used to assist in the assessment of Infrastructure Priority List project proposals from state and territory governments. These documents support the Australian Infrastructure Plan, which identifies opportunities and solutions to ensure the successful functioning of Australia’s cities and regions.

 

Delivered outcome

VLC assessed the performance of the transport network for Sydney, Melbourne, SEQ, Adelaide, ACT and Perth for 2016 and 2031 with a road-user charge scenario using our suite of Zenith models. The standardisation of processes and assumptions across models from the six markets allowed for consistent comparisons of model results across markets and led to a more complete picture of the state of the national transport network now and into the future.

VLC devised new network performance indicators including: cost of congestion, cost of crowding, access to jobs and access to social infrastructure (green spaces, hospitals, schools). VLC also provided metrics such as: level of service for major road and rail corridors, public transport frequencies, and daily toll revenue. Visualisation of these metrics allowed for easy identification of spatial trends in the model results.

VLC produced reports for each city detailing the implications of the modelled scenarios for 2031. These included meaningful maps and charts to synthesise a large volume of output data from the models. A separate road-user charging report examined the impact of a distance-based charge on travel in the major cities. This was the first time the Zenith strategic transport models had been used in this context.

 

Australian Infrastructure Audit – 2015

VLC forecast potential transport outcomes and the effects of projected population growth on our future transport infrastructure through to 2031.

 

Client requirements

VLC was commissioned to undertake travel demand forecasts and transport network assessments as part of the Australian Infrastructure Audit. The key requirements were to robustly predict the scale and location of travel increase for six major regions in Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and ACT) using the VLC’s proprietary Zenith model and the provision of key metrics in support of Direct Economic Contributions for the economic evaluation.

 

Delivered outcome

For each region, VLC made an assessment of the degree to which the performance of the transport network would deteriorate by 2031 under a low investment scenario. The study included the identification of elements of the road network that would generate large economic costs due to congestion, as well as sections in the public transport network that would experience severe over-crowding.

In May 2015 the Australian Infrastructure Audit report was officially released by Infrastructure Australia. VLC’s utilisation of the Zenith model across the regions made it possible to provide a level of consistency not seen before on a national level. This work has subsequently been used to develop the National Infrastructure Plan, which outlines the Commonwealth infrastructure policies for the next 15 years.