Feature article:
Planning rules updated for safer transport 

Before Christmas, with little publicity, the Victorian State Government gazetted significant changes to the state’s planning scheme, with revisions addressing safety and sustainability in transport policy. 
 
On 9 December 2021, the State Government gazetted changes to the Victorian state-wide planning policy through Amendment VC204, which entering into force on that date. The amendment updates clause 18 (Transport provisions) in the Victoria Planning Provisions (VPP) and all planning schemes (including the Moreland Planning Scheme).
 
Key elements of amendment VC204 include: 

• a clarified and expanded definition of the State Transport System; 
• an increased emphasis on safety as a central theme of the revised policy;
• emphasis on encouraging mode shift away from cars, prioritising walking, cycling and public transport;
• an emphasis on protecting the operation of the public transport system during land use planning. 

In a municipality like Moreland, there are a large number of major projects that have significant impacts on our road network. These latest changes to Victoria’s planning provisions provide valuable and welcome recognition of the need for safe and sustainable transport across our community.
 
Through Amendment VC204, the changes include an expanded definition of the “State Transport System”, which prioritises cycling and public transport. There is new language explicitly stating the State Transport System includes the Principal Bicycle Network and Principal Public Transport Network: 

• “Principal Bicycle Network: Existing and future high quality cycling routes that provide access to major destinations and facilitate cycling for transport, sport, recreation and fitness."
• “Principal Public Transport Network: Existing and future high quality public transport routes in the Melbourne metropolitan area.” 

Under changes to clause 18, there are now separate sections for Walking and Cycling, highlighting their significance for the transport network. These revisions give clear policy direction to protect safe and efficient movement in these modes in the State Transport Network, such as clauses to: “Protect and develop the Principal Bicycle Network to provide high-quality cycling routes that are direct and connected, to and between key destinations including activity centres, public transport interchanges, employment areas, urban renewal precincts and major attractions.”
 
There is also a welcome focus on safety in transport systems. The explanatory report for VC204, issued by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DEWLP), is explicit. It states that that the revised clause 18 places “much greater emphasis on safety and sustainability.” It stresses: “Policy introduced by the amendment prioritises safety, with multiple strategies and objectives seeking to ensure the safe functioning and use of the transport system”. Under the heading “Safety and health and wellbeing”, the explanatory report says “The updated policy includes consideration of safety, and is expected to lead to improvements to the safety of the network for all users.” 
 
These changes to the Victorian planning scheme prioritise efficient and safe walking, cycling, and the use of public transport, in that order, over cars, in changes to the urban environment and land use.  This road hierarchy is given greater prominence in the new clause 18, and the prioritisation of these alternative modes over cars is now much more explicit.
 
For example, the previous legislation provided support for “sustainable personal transport”, but the revised clause 18 has the explicit objective “to facilitate an efficient and safe walking network and increase the proportion of trips made by walking.” There is also a new, explicit objective “to facilitate an efficient and safe public transport network and increase the proportion of trips made by public transport.” 
 
The DEWLP explanatory report, under the heading “Environmental Effects”, states: “The updated policy introduced by the amendment encourages environmental sustainability, including walking, cycling and public transport objectives which aim to increase the share of trips by sustainable modes of transport and reduce vehicle emissions and road traffic congestion.” 
 
Under clauses related to “Sustainable and Safe Transport”, the policy objective is to “facilitate an environmentally sustainable transport system that is safe and supports health and wellbeing.” This clause explicitly highlights the need for “Design development to promote walking, cycling and the use of public transport, in that order, and minimise car dependency” (emphasis added).
 
The new policy change under VC204 includes consideration of land use policy and how the design of neighbourhoods should better support active living, encourage mode shift towards public transport, and increase safety.  
 
The revised clause 18 has significant language to protect existing transport infrastructure from “encroachment or detriment” that would impact on the current or future function of the transport system. For example, the direction to “Locate higher density and increased development on or close to the Principal Public Transport Network” is explicitly constrained by the subsequent words, which state “in a way that does not compromise the efficiency of the Principal Public Transport Network.”  (emphasis added). 
 
Another strategy requires planners to “Plan the use of land adjacent to the transport system having regard to the current and future development and operation of the transport system.” (the reference to 'future' operation of transport raises the bar for forward-looking horizon planning). The strategy explicitly calls for “Separating pedestrians, bicycles and motor vehicles, where practicable” and “Reducing the need for cyclists to mix with other road users.”
 
While these broad planning principles will need to be interpreted by local government and VCAT in the context of specific planning permit applications, this is a welcome focus on safety, sustainability, walking, cycling and public transport – issues that Brunswick Residents Network has highlighted over many years (check our latest report on ‘Walking In Brunswick’ here, where more than 920 people surveyed highlighted safety, accessibility and environmental awareness).
 
These changes have already begun to be considered in the planning process: on 10 December, the day after the changes were gazetted, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) issued an order to all participants in the long-running and unresolved hearings over plans for a new Bunnings warehouse in Glenlyon Road, Brunswick. The VCAT order requested submissions “addressing the relevance, if any, of the recent Amendment VC204 to the consideration of the merits of the proposal.” Brunswick Residents Network, whose prior submissions had focused on detriment to pedestrians, cyclists, and nearby residents, argued that the changes are very relevant to our concerns. Months after the end of the VCAT hearings, we await the final ruling in this crucial case.

• AMENDMENT VC204: Scroll down on this linked page to find links to the "Explanatory Document", and details of changes
• Yarra Streets Alive: VC204 support for walking and biking