“The absence of a transport plan as required by the act,during a decade of unprecedented investment in transport infrastructure,creates risks of missed opportunities to sequence and optimise the benefits of these investments to best meet Victoria’s transport needs.”

Mr Barry found that while the state’s transport plan is supposed to be publicly accessible,only 14 of the department’s 29 plans have been published.

Under the act,the plan should be formed after consultation with stakeholders,including transport system users and members of the community,government agencies and the private sector,but this has not been done.

Planners have repeatedly called for an integrated transport plan in the wake of an $87 billion “Big Build” agenda that hasalmost doubled in size since Premier Daniel Andrews took power in 2014,growing to nearly 90 major projects.

RMIT Centre for Urban Research director Jago Dodson said the report was a “stunning indictment of the ‘build first,ask questions later’ approach to transport planning that has prevailed in Victoria for nearly a decade. The failure is most apparent in the announcements of multibillion-dollar projects,like the Suburban Rail Loop,North East Link or Airport Rail,without a plan.

“We have no clear way of understanding how these vastly expensive schemes address Melbourne’s overarching transport goals,what the alternatives are,or what cheaper non-infrastructure options could have been adopted.”

Opposition transport infrastructure spokesman David Davis said the lack of a plan has left Labor’s major projects “having all the appearance of a dog’s breakfast”.

“Daniel Andrews and Jacinta Allan are officially on a frolic with tens of billions of dollars of Victorian taxpayers’ money,wasting eye-watering amounts of our hard-earned cash on unplanned and unintegrated transport infrastructure projects,” he said.

Victorian Greens transport spokesman Sam Hibbins said transport planning in the state was a “secretive mess”. In late 2019 the Greens moved an amendment that would have compelled the government to table its transport plan,which was blocked by Labor and crossbenchers.

“Our tram network remains largely inaccessible to people with disability,and the government’s mega toll roads are environmental and financial disasters,with transport now the fastest-growing source of carbon emissions,” Mr Hibbins said.

“The reality is people are still waiting 20 minutes for a train and an hour for their local bus,and face unsafe bike routes and pedestrian crossings in their communities.”

Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan countered this,pointing to “165 integrated road and rail projects that are currently under way across Victoria that will improve road transport,public transport and freight. Any Victorian travelling on our roads or rail network can see our state’s integrated transport plan coming to life – Victoria’s Big Build.

“Our plan also supports over 50,000 jobs – the only alternative announced by the Victorian Liberals is to cut infrastructure funding,putting these jobs at risk and grinding the city to a halt.”

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