The effects of ring-freeways on travel patterns and economic development are the subject of considerable debate. Do such roads induce economic growth, or do they merely increase travel, by reducing self-containment and creating 'edge cities'? Melbourne's Western Ring Road, which runs from the Hume Highway at Campbellfield to the Princes Freeway at North Laverton, opened in stages from 1989 to 1997. It has been widely reported that the Ring Road has indeed induced economic development in the Western suburbs of Melbourne, through which it passes, and that these benefits began to manifest themselves even before the road opened. But these reports are based on anecdotal accounts of new factory construction, not on empirical analysis. This paper seeks to at least partially rectify this deficiency by analysing census data for the period up to the 1996 census on economic activity. (Author/publisher) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E205861.
Abstract