The CCP Sustainable Transport Project 2005-2007

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: Public transport - a far more sustainable option

The CCP Sustainable Transport Project evolved from an earlier collaboration with the Australian Greenhouse Office on their Travel Demand Management (TDM) Initiative.

Under this Initiative, between 2002 and 2004, 26 CCP Councils across six states took advantage of federal funding of up to $4000 to assist them to identify suitable TDM options for cost-effective implementation in their corporate operations and within the community.

In 2004, CCP-Au received funding to enhance the delivery of sustainable transport options to Local Government through the development of a dedicated Project.

The resulting CCP Sustainable Transport Project, launched in 2005, was delivered over two financial years to CCP-Plus Councils in Queensland and New South Wales.

Project Aims

The CCP Sustainable Transport Project aimed to:

Identify synergies between Councils' strategic planning policies, frameworks and processes, and their relation to sustainable transport;
Engage the transport representative within each council to build their capacity in sustainable transport and identify links between transport and greenhouse gas reduction within council operations and the community;
Deliver greenhouse gas abatement in the transport sector; and
Quantify environmental, economic and social benefits as appropriate.

Project Framework

The Sustainable Transport Project was designed around a 5 Milestone framework, similar to the CCP Program framework. The Project framework, as depicted here, leads Councils logically through a stepwise process from an initial assessment of their current transport situation and needs to prioritising action areas, planning for action, implementation and finally reviewing progress and re-strategising for the future.

A series of materials, tools and templates were developed to support Project Councils through this process. These can be accessed via the Taking Action page of this website and are available to any CCP Council, along with ICLEI guidance, to assist in the design and implementation of Sustainable Transport action and initiatives. There are also tools available that enable CCP Councils to quantify their baseline transport emissions and financial costs, the abatement from planned or implemented actions and additional financial, social and health benefits.

The Sustainable Transport Project was delivered over a 12-month period which included a series of focused presentations, workshops and dedicated support, as well as access to materials, templates and tools. At the end of this period, Councils were expected to have completed a Sustainable Transport Action Plan and, where possible, begun implementation. In all cases, the implementation phase continues well beyond the 12-month project period and Councils have been encouraged to translate the Framework into a continuous, cyclical and embedded Council process of re-assessment, re-prioritising, re-planning and on-going implementation.

Project Outcomes

As part of their Priority Setting (Milestone 2), Councils in Queensland decided to work regionally and collectively identified the need to develop Green Travel Plan materials for high trip generators. This activity was pursued through separate federal funding and in August 2007, Noosa Council, the City of Thuringowa and Rockhampton City Council launched their Green Travel Plan Guide, hard copies of which are available through Noosa Council. Following the Queensland Council amalgamation process in 2007, the new Sunshine Coast Regional Council, incorporating these three former municipalities, intends to continue with the development of a unified, regional Sustainable Transport Action Plan.

Of the nine Project Councils in New South Wales, five now have Council-endorsed Sustainable Transport Action Plans and one Council has gone on to complete a comprehensive Review and Re-strategise of their Plan following a significant, and successful phase of implementation. The completed Plans and Review/Re-strategise Report can be downloaded from the Taking Action page. Relevant outcomes from project workshops with all participating Councils can be access from the Resources page.

Dedicated support to the 12 CCP-Plus Councils in Queensland and New South Wales that participated respectively in phase 1 (2005/06) and phase 2 (2006/07) of the Sustainable Transport Project formally ceased at the end of June 2008.

Cities for Climate Protection® (CCP®) Australia: implementing greenhouse action through a collaboration between the Australian Government and ICLEI Oceania. The CCP® Australia Program is funded by the Australian Government.