Decades of under-investment in transport links on Melbourne's fringe have had serious health impacts – and more than $150 billion is needed to address the problem.

One in four residents on Melbourne’s booming fringe now spends more than two hours a day in their car, new Melbourne University research has found, with residents of the city’s growth suburbs more likely than people in the rest of the city to have heart disease or obesity issues.

Melton GP Marcus Watson in Melton this week. Credit:Jason South

Melton GP Marcus Watson, who often spends more than an hour stuck in crawling traffic on his way to the CBD, has lived experience of this growing imbalance between inner and outer Melbourne – both as a doctor and as an occasional commuter.

Dr Watson has in recent times reduced the time he spends travelling to central Melbourne, but said the unpredictability of the commute still made it a nightmare.