In 1970, the, then, Country Roads Board contracted consultants to produce, in consultation with local ouncils, a Major Road Plan for Bendigo based on predicted traffic conditions in 1990. That plan did guide the development of highway and arterial road development, but it was incomplete when 1990 dawned.

In 1990, VicRoads had just been created and a review of the 1970 plan was undertaken using predicted traffic in the year 2020. Essentially, this study recommended finishing all the initiatives of the 1970 plan and investigation of an arterial road connection between Strathfieldsaye and the Calder Highway at Big Hill. VicRoads did, in 1997, produce a draft plan for the connection but it was not supported by the former Shire of Strathfieldsaye.

In 2003, VicRoads agreed to finance a study to address major road congestion on the main north/south highway link through Bendigo. The resulting plan was bold and had some sound recommendations at either end of the route, but impacted significantly in Quarry Hill, Kennington and East Bendigo where many well maintained historically significant buildings exist.

There was, not surprisingly, a surge of objections from residents, historians, and environmentalists. The plan was shelved, by council, and an Integral Transport and Land Use Strategy (ITLUS) was developed.

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Essentially, ITLUS promotes transport by walking and cycling, and concentration of future residential development within the current urban area, and encourages higher population density through construction of units, condominiums, and multi storied residences in suitable precincts. All this is useful because it can retard and defer some improvements to the road system. However it does nothing to plan how people may readily move about in Bendigo on 2070.

Year 2020 is now only seven months away and there are aspects of 1970 plan that have not been undertaken, nothing has been done about a collector/distributor road for the south eastern quadrant of the city and, worse, the city has yet to accept that the road system is archaic and simply will not serve traffic demands in a city of 200,000 people. Why is this, seemingly, too hard? I'd suggest that the following aspects contribute to a state of inertia:

In conclusion. I'd suggest that sensible long term planning saves money, avoids disputes, creates employment, and maintains a sustainable, livable city. Let's construct a bandwagon of progress, get aboard with Don Erskine and Trevor Phillips and ensure Bendigo's place as the place to live in 2070.