Moving Melton
Transport Prospectus 2024
Active Transport
An increase in the use of active transport, including walking, cycling and scooters, will reduce the number of vehicles on our road network and embed more affordable, healthy, and sustainable transport practices in our community.
On Census Day 2021, in the City of Melton, 0.8% of residents rode a bike and 1.3% walked to work, compared to the Melbourne metropolitan average of 1.4% who rode a bike, and 3.5% who walked to work.
Victoria Walks surveyed 2,300 Victorians in 2021 and found that 40 per cent of people in Melbourne's outer metropolitan growth areas (Melton, Wyndham, Hume, Whittlesea, Casey and Cardinia) didn't walk for transport at all, compared to 32% of all Victorians.
The biggest barriers identified by the survey were missing or badly maintained footpaths, and a lack of safe crossings at busy roads.
The City of Melton Pedestrian and Cyclists plan was developed in 2022 to address barriers to active transport with over 640 residents participating in the community engagement. The plan looked at how to expand the number of households near safe routes, and improve connectivity by removing gaps, detours and connecting routes.
Solution
• 90 km of missing paths and 350 road safety improvements to be prioritised by Council
• 120 km of shared path network on major roads which will be advocated through to the State Government
• 240 km of Developer delivered path network which will be managed through permit applications
View the map for the existing active transport network and projects
e-scooter and e-bikes
Beam Mobility has been operating e-bikes in Caroline Springs since early2023 and rolled out 150 e-scooters across Melton and Caroline Springs in late 2024. In the first month of operation 2,400 kilometres was travelled in beam scooters.
e-scooters and e-bikes use 'geofencing' to help keep riders and pedestrians safe and cap the users’ speed in ‘go slow’ zones and turn off in ‘no go’ zones. This is another way to encourage people to leave their car at home, or for those visiting to have another option.
On-road bike lane
Off-road shared path
Example of geofencing, ensuring e-bikes and e-scooters are used and parked correctly.
20 minute neighbourhoods: Increasing the number of trips by active transport from 1% to 5%
Research shows that 20-minutes is the maximum time people are willing to walk to meet their daily needs, or around 800 meters.
By creating well-designed walkable neighbourhoods that are connected through a mix of land-uses, housing types and access to quality public transport, we can create more healthy, liveable communities.
In our planning we endeavour to create 20 minute neighbourhoods to increase participation in active transport.
Opportunity
On Census Day 2021, in the City of Melton, 0.8% of residents rode a bike and 1.3% walked to work, this compares to the Melbourne metropolitan average of 1.4% who rode a bike and 3.5% who walked to work.
Victoria Walks surveyed 2,300 Victorians in 2021 and found that 40 per cent of people in Melbourne's outer metropolitan growth areas (Melton, Wyndham, Hume, Whittlesea, Casey and Cardinia) didn't walk for transport at all, compared to 32% of all Victorians. It also found 40% of people in these areas use a private car for all trips – much higher than the state average of 24%. (1)
The biggest barriers identified by the survey were missing or badly maintained footpaths, and a lack of safe crossings at busy roads.We believe that investments in active transport networks will increase the percentage of trips taken via active transport from 1% to 5% in the City of Melton.
This will see reduced car use and congestion and healthier, more sustainable and socially connected ways of travelling within our community.