In the light of growing trends in global carbon emissions, and the resultant impacts of climate change, it has become imperative for cities to reframe their development patterns and policies to facilitate a transition towards carbon neutrality. The 30-Year Plan of Greater Adelaide attempts to review and identify new ways of shaping the city’s development trajectory to become the first carbon neutral city in the world. Nevertheless, efforts at promoting low carbon development in Adelaide are faced with significant obstacles in the prevalent automobile regime, and entrenched consumer lifestyle that sustains it. A multi-level perspective is introduced to assess the potential drivers and barriers to a net zero carbon footprint in Adelaide’s transport system. Drawing on the case of Freiburg, which is identified as a best practice model for sustainable transport planning, this paper examined the transition processes involved in reframing the technical and social dimensions of urban transportation systems towards greater sustainability. It identified key leverage points where systemic change can be effected in Adelaide’s transport system to facilitate a transition towards carbon neutral development. The paper contributes to an understanding of the multi-dimensional interactions in socio-technical transitions towards sustainable transport planning.