Combating the Increasing Traffic Management Challenges in Melbourne

Traffic congestions are a growing concern in Melbourne and other major Australian cities. According to The Guardian, Melbourne will soon surpass all other cities in the country, including the current leader Sydney, in terms of population and development. That explains why transport planning in Melbourne is at the top of the agenda for the concerned authorities. Considering that travel is directly related to economic activities, authorities need to identify the root causes of congestions and come up with a comprehensive plan to ensure a seamless traffic movement. Let’s take a look at some of the major causes of traffic congestion and their possible remedies.

Increasing Number of Vehicles

A report by the Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics, Canberra projects an increase of 33 percent in vehicular traffic in the prime cities of Australia (including Melbourne), in 2016. Additionally, given the increasing buying capacity of citizens, Australia-wide per-capita car travel is likely to reach approximately 9,000 km per person by the year 2020, which will certainly result in a substantial increase in the number of cars on the roads.

Temporary Roadblocks and Diversions

Developmental work being carried out by the authorities is one of the most common causes of road congestions. Moreover, negligence or flouting of traffic rules by commuters add to the problem. Therefore, to address the issue, it is essential to implementing stringent traffic rules and well-planned developmental activities, leveraging the latest in technology and processes.

Dangerous Level Crossings

There are numerous dangerous level crossings in Melbourne that intensify traffic congestion. To be more precise, at-least 50 level crossings in the city can be termed “dangerous”, and therefore, removing or improving them may prove to be an important step towards reducing congestions.

Desynchronized Traffic Signals

Traffic signals must function in a synchronized manner to ensure smooth movement of traffic. Any unplanned time lags between traffic signals cause problems for the commuters, which explains the rapidly increasing deployment of automated signals that control traffic based on the density.

Limited Subways and Walkover Bridges

Subways and walkover bridges are essential to allow pedestrians to cross roads and intersections safely, without disturbing the vehicular traffic. In areas witnessing an increase in population, the authorities must ensure that there are adequate number of subways and walkover bridges.

The Way Forward

To deal with spiraling traffic issue, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) can implement a performance-based program to streamline the existing transportation process. In addition, Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) can be deployed to provide real-time information to the public, and improve regional transportation security. A reputed traffic engineering company in Melbourne can provide traffic solutions by providing local area traffic management (LATM) and traffic engineering services along with impact assessment to ensure seamless traffic flow.

To learn more about what a traffic engineering company can do for you, reach us at 0408 395 729 for a no-obligation consultation, or drop us an email at info@ebtraffic.com.au.