On 17 August 2011 the VAGO tabled a report on its findings into the effectiveness of the Department of Transport and VicRoads in developing cycling as a safe and appealing mode of transport.
The ultimate goal of the 2009 Victorian Cycling Strategy was to ‘grow’ cycling into a major form of personal transport. The strategy created a logical framework for action and formed the basis for increased investment in cycling infrastructure. However, serious limitations in its development and implementation compromised its potential to achieve its goal.
It was found that:
- The strategy was developed in haste without sufficient understanding of either current cycling journeys or what was required to ‘mainstream’ cycling as a form of transport.
- There was an overemphasis on physical infrastructure solutions, to the relative neglect of other measures essential to achieving the strategy’s goal, such as promoting cycling, educating potential cyclists and reducing the incentives to use cars.
- agencies were not well prepared to implement the strategy or evaluate its success, and this contributed to the unsatisfactory progress in addressing its limitations.
The document says that this lack of preparation repeats past audit findings about the department’s freight management strategy and metropolitan bus contracts.
Access the report here
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