Almost every city in the world has significant road infrastructure, and this infrastructure is integral to how cities’ residents, workforces and goods and services get around. In Australia, we rely on roads to deliver almost all the food we eat, for example, and governments regularly invest in building new roads to ensure cities stay productive and liveable even as city populations increase. Governments also partner with private industry (including us) to deliver this essential infrastructure.

Building and operating transport infrastructure generates greenhouse gases (GHG); the main cause of the global heating that’s changing our climate. These emissions are generated in part through the manufacture, transportation and installation of materials used to build new roads, tunnels and bridges. Operating and maintaining existing roads also generates GHG: lighting; tunnel ventilation; and pavement (road surface) works all use energy and materials. And most vehicles travelling on roads also generate emissions.

As an owner and operator of toll-roads in Australia and North America, we have a key role to play in leading our industry, adopting and advocating for innovative sustainable practices and low- and zero-emission technology and design solutions. Our roads are designed and built to support free-flowing traffic, which helps minimise the amount of greenhouse gases emitted from vehicles. For example, travel on our roads generates, on average, 27% less emissions than the alternate routes: delivering more efficient roads sooner will help reduce road-travel-related emissions.