"Each major Australian capital city is faced with predicted population growth of millions more people." It's not a passive "prediction", it's a deliberate Treasury target, Ross. Ordinary Australians are strongly opposed to it. But it's working just fine for well heeled "property consultants" like you.

Urban transit? Normal cities have a rail link to the airport. Even LAX is getting one, at long last. After 50 years, Tullamarine is not even close. While Sydney has one of biggest tollway gouges in the whole world. Works for rich people, bad news for ordinary punters.

There's no provision in today's Australian Psyche for step by step long-term development. Just about everything is based on the quick buck mentality !
I firmly believe that a National Service would bring back the forward thinking of the post war era when infrastructure was built for the future not just for the day !
The 4 mile long canal of Corinth through solid rock was built in 600 BC yet we can't divert a few creeks to fill lake Eyre with all the machinery of today ?
It clearly is the lack of patience from investors that prevents so much practical progress.
Many projects would literally pay for themselves from the real estate along such projects. Flood mitigation could be paid for by canal developments etc.
If only the quick buck mentality could be gotten rid of ! Environmental concerns aren't warranted there as environmental benefits would override all !

Two things not to do: Don’t smoke and don’t travel. Problems solved.

We have a people problem: there are too many of them. We have a people problem in the politicians who want to keep bring more people here - mostly people who don't fit Western civilisation. People. People. People.

Ever watched any of those ambulance/hospital emergency shows Ross? An extremely disproportional percentage of the injured are bicycle/motor bike riders. Your solution may increase the health care bill beyond acceptable.

I bought myself a mobility scooter, it also is not the answer to urban transport, but something like a cross between it & a golf cart just might be.

Then there is the non urban population. I live in a semi rural village. It is about 50 Sq kilometers in area, & has 1190 houses, & still growing. It is 15 kilometers from the nearest super market, about 20 from nearest town, & 25 from a larger one offering full shopping facilities. People here don't just need a car, but really need a ute at least to bring home everything needed to live in an area on the electrical grid, but with no other urban type services.

Too much planning currently aimed at major cities leaves far too many folk like us completely out. Time to include the rest of us in planning.

Two things not to do: Don’t smoke and don’t travel. Problems solved.
diver dan,
Willy nilly travel is a large contributor to the problems of our times. From emission to lost tax revenue to acquisition of new stupidity & importing new problems.
There are an extreme few travellers who actually learn from travelling & return with increased knowledge & improved mentality. The contrary is more the case from my observations.
We don't have a mobility challenge, what we have is a mentality challenge & particularly the challenge of saving the decline of common sense courtesy of intellectuals !

We need rapid rail and outer urban CBDs in satellite cities.

There's not practical reason why this shouldn't happen given CBD landlords are pricing themselves out of the real estate marketplace.

And there a strong case for (a) new city (cities) to be built from the ground up between Melbourne and Sydney. And north of Brisbane.

The new VTL trains do not need overhead wires but use magnetic interface systems buried just below ground.

No reason why trolley buses could use the same on various routes always providing they batteries with enough storage capacity to move between powered routes as required by demand?

Powered walkways and escalators would move pedestrian traffic in dense areas more rapidly. Motorbikes, scooters etc? Yes, but electric.
Alan B.

Fears for buckling of housing in Queensland because of the mania for more people, particularly those subsidising the university industry. 40,000 due to move in this year: 16,000 into purpose built student accommodation, the rest to compete in the private rental market.

There won't be room for transport to move through the increasing, and completely unnecessary, hordes of people.

I feel something is out of balance firing up a car engine just to get a loaf of bread. I'd ride a pushbike if there were places to cross under or over busy roads but planners don't seem to have thought of that. I suspect self driving cars won't catch on and less so quadcopter style air taxis after one or two have crashed and burned.

That leaves urban sprawl into Australia's last remaining areas of good soil and rainfall. Near me is a subdivision sign next to a growing wheat crop that is cleaning the air, creating healthy food and is relaxing to the eye. Soon to be covered in concrete with twice daily bus services to the doctors, pokie machines etc. Progress is a wonderful thing.

Australia has only one way to expand, into the interior ! Start by making education smarter & by introducing a National Service. With the improved mentality of the new generations & generation-long projects such as flooding Lake Eyre will improve everything here !
Make the quick buck mentality which after all, led to the present housing disaster & remuneration inequality to be unfashionable !
We simply can not get away from the fact that just about everything here is a mentality issue !
Want to make things better, start thinking !

It might help if people didn't expect McMansions for their first home. My first home was an ex farm workers 4 room cottage, including the laundry/bathroom. It wasn't much, didn't cost much, & was perfect for a just married couple, with out too much cleaning & gardening to interfere with more important activities.

Most young folk today want the full 4 bed, 2 bath mansion as a minimum, then find their life style greatly restricted paying for the thing.