City of Melbourne has a Road Management Plan (RMP) to meet the legislative requirements of the Road Management Act 2004 (the Act). The RMP identifies our responsibilities, maintenance standards and inspection protocols for managing our road assets and civil liability.

The main function of the RMP is to outline potential road asset defects – such as a loose or chipped paver on a footpath, overgrown vegetation obstructing a road or a damaged traffic sign – and provide guidance to our staff on when and how they should respond to each type of hazard.

Council’s current RMP was formally adopted in July 2021.

The RMP must be reviewed every 4 years in accordance with section 54 of the Act. The review and any amendments must be formally adopted by 31 October 2025, the year following Council elections.

The formal review process is outlined in section 54 of the Act and includes the following procedures:

1. Any proposed changes to the RMP requires public notification “Notice of Amendment to the RMP’ for a minimum period of 28 days. Public comment is sought.
2. At the conclusion of the consultation period Council is presented with proposed changes to the RMP for approval.
3. Public notification advising Adoption of Amended RMP.

Public notifications are to be published in the following media outlets under section 54 (4) of the Act:

• Government Gazette
• Daily newspaper generally circulating in the area.
• Any other manner for the purpose of public notification.

This consultation forms part of our formal notification and review process for the RMP.

The current review of the RMP included feedback from the Municipal Association of Victoria and City of Melbourne’s panel of legal advisors.

You can read a summary of our proposed changes. Overall, most of these changes relate to either the structure of the plan or minor adjustments to our intervention levels – our responsibilities relating to road management and civil liability remain largely the same.