What it does
The Transport Planning and Coordination Act 1994 (Qld) establishes a high-level framework for strategic transport planning and coordination in Queensland. Its objectives, set out in s 2, are to improve the economic, trade and regional development performance of Queensland and the quality of life of Queenslanders by achieving overall transport effectiveness and efficiency through strategic planning and management of transport resources.
The Act achieves this primarily through three mechanisms. First, Part 2 requires the chief executive to develop a transport coordination plan for the Minister’s approval. The plan must include specific objectives, criteria for deciding spending priorities on transport, and performance indicators. It must also provide a framework for coordinated transport planning and for effective and efficient use of land for transport purposes. Critically, the plan must be consistent with the government’s overall strategic planning and take into account national transport strategies, regional strategies, local government interests, land use planning and environmental policies. The plan is tabled in the Legislative Assembly.
Second, Part 2A addresses land use and transport coordination. The object is to enable the chief executive to encourage increased integration between land use and transport. The part lists specific ways to achieve this, including ensuring development does not have a significant adverse impact on public passenger transport or its infrastructure, ensuring development addresses environmental emissions from transport, promoting urban development that maximises public transport use, and supporting active transport such as cycling and walking. The chief executive may make guidelines, and persons must have regard to relevant guidelines when planning or carrying out development under the Planning Act, making changes to the management of a local government road, or making proposals about public passenger transport.