ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the discourse of roads as evidenced in three case study cities: Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. The storylines we found were first identified through analysis of planning documents used to support a proposal for the construction of the Melbourne Ring Road. As with Melbourne, Sydney's Sustainability Tale emerged in the mid-1970s but never really gained traction against powerful debates around 'balanced solutions'. The Sydney Area Transport Study was the eventual completion of the transportation study recommended by the State Planning Authority in 1968. The 1970s marked an important period in Perth's transport history. The Perth Regional Transport Study contained the argument that Perth was a growing metropolis which required a modern transport system to service the future needs of the region. Towards the end of the century Perth policy makers continued to struggle with the sustainability storyline. The Western Sydney Orbital is the western section of a ring road around Sydney.
