Public opinion polls indicate that Australians require better national outcomes in economic, social, health and environmental areas. A sense of personal well-being is achieved only if progress in all of these outcome areas occurs in a balanced manner. Road transport professionals have grappled during the 20th century with the policy, design and delivery mechanisms to provide a balance of national outcomes from the road transport sector. A broad historical review of this process in Australia is given, including the more detailed outcome based management systems that were developed in the 1990s. The present performance of the Australian road transport sector in terms of these economic, social, health and environmental outcome areas is described and reforms needed to improve the contribution of the road transport sector to these national outcome areas are recommended. (a)
Abstract