Traffic congestion has been the major road news story of the past fortnight, with the problems of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane attracting particular attention.
Major truck accidents on consecutive days on the F3 freeway, north of Sydney, this week focussed local media on the problem of how best to manage incidents that close the road corridor and, on a broader scale, how to cope with the freeway’s expanding traffic and freight volumes.
NRMA president Alan Evans was quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald calling for consideration for duplication of the F3, while a Herald editorial urged the Government to encourage more freight onto rail - a view echoed by the NRMA in the Daily Telegraph’s front page lead.
The Herald also reported that Roads Minister Eric Roozendaal had called on the RTA to review its emergency response plans for the F3.
Congestion in Sydney’s inner west also came under the microscope in a front page Herald lead about proposals and cost blow-outs for a second Iron Cove crossing for Victoria Road.
In Melbourne, a report in the Age had the State Government acknowledging that plans to increase container traffic in and out of the Port of Melbourne would increase traffic congestion, and that the proposed east-west link was one of a number of possible solutions.
The Age also reported on the Federal Government’s announcement about the structure and function of its new Infrastructure Australia initiative (see story below), quoting Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as saying traffic gridlock was imposing excessive costs on the national economy.
In a separate report, the Age said Victorian Premier John Brumby had met with transport and business chiefs to discuss possible solutions to the city’s traffic chaos, including the expanded use of clearways and better real-time information for motorists using freeways.
In Brisbane, the Courier Mail said new Federal Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese had identified the upgrade of the Ipswich Motorway as the Government’s top road priority. The Minister was quoted as saying the Government was committed to tackling road congestion in the Brisbane - Gold Coast region.
In other news, the Courier Mail reported that the State Coroner would review fatal truck crashes in the State to decide whether an inquest should be held to identify causes.
The Federal Labor Government has released details of the structure and function of Infrastructure Australia, the new body charged with overseeing the planning, funding and implementation of Australia’s future infrastructure needs.
Infrastructure Australia will be a statutory advisory council which, the Government says, will develop a strategic blueprint for future infrastructure and - in partnership with the states, territories, local government and the private sector - facilitate its implementation.
Federal Infrastructure Minister, Anthony Albanese, says legislation to establish Infrastructure Australia will be introduced during the first session of the new Parliament.
Mr Albanese says the advisory council will have 12 members drawn from industry and government. This will include five from the private sector, one of whom will be the chair.
He says Infrastructure Australia will:
Mr Albanese says Infrastructure Australia's immediate task will be to audit the nation's infrastructure shortfalls and produce an Infrastructure Priority List to guide billions of dollars of public and private investment.
The first Infrastructure Priority List will be completed within 12 months. In developing the List, Infrastructure Australia will assess projects in terms of specific goals, such as:
Infrastructure Australia will also review the extent to which governments can better facilitate infrastructure investment, including through public-private partnerships as well as better planning and approval processes, the Minister says.
Infrastructure Australia will be supported by an Infrastructure Coordinator, who will lead a small, professional Office of Infrastructure Coordination within the Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government portfolio.
Advice and reports from Infrastructure Australia also will be considered by the Infrastructure Working Group of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG).
Infrastructure Australia will be located in Sydney.
The Federal Government last week hosted the inaugural meeting of the COAG Infrastructure Working Group.
Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese chaired the high-level working group of state, territory and Commonwealth officials just days after Federal Cabinet approved the establishment of Infrastructure Australia, the new body charged with better coordinating infrastructure planning and investment.
Mr Albanese said the working group had agreed on a timetable for reforming the way infrastructure was planned, financed and delivered - one that would be taken forward by the soon-to-be established Infrastructure Australia.
"There is tremendous goodwill from the states and territories as well as the Commonwealth to end the blame game and advance the infrastructure agenda," said Mr Albanese.
"Today's meeting was extremely constructive."
There will be one further meeting of the working group prior to the next Council of Australian Governments.
The Working Group has agreed that the Commonwealth, state and territory governments will provide the information necessary for Infrastructure Australia to complete its priority audit of national infrastructure by June 30.
"Once the Audit is completed, Infrastructure Australia will consult widely, including with the owners and operators of existing infrastructure assets, in preparing an Infrastructure Priority List to guide investment," said Mr Albanese.
Around one billion dollars will be injected into new rail and road infrastructure in the boom western corridor of south east Queensland, State Transport Minister John Mickel announced this week.
Mr Mickel said work included an upgrade of the Ipswich rail line between Corinda and Darra, a new rail line between Darra and Springfield, and duplication of the adjacent Centenary Highway.
Work on the first leg of the Darra - Springfield line and duplication of the Centenary Highway to four lanes to the Logan Motorway interchange will happen concurrently, and is expected to begin in May.
Mr Mickel said the Darra to Springfield Transport Corridor project was the first large-scale project in Queensland to deliver integrated road and rail infrastructure.
“Constructing the road and rail at the same time will save time, minimising disruption to residents and road users during the construction period,” he said.
Minister for Main Roads Warren Pitt said the road component of the project would continue duplication of the Centenary Highway from the new four-lane motorway link under the Boundary Road overpass, initially to the Logan Motorway interchange and then in later stages through to Springfield.
“Duplication of the Centenary Highway to Logan Motorway will help ease congestion in this western corridor and dovetail with planned improvements to interlinking road networks,” Mr Pitt said.
‘Chain of Responsibility’ laws to target the cause of heavy vehicle speeding have been approved unanimously by the Australian Transport Council.
Chain of Responsibility reforms agreed by Transport Ministers now cover heavy vehicle overloading, driver fatigue and speed offences. All governments have agreed to implement the model Chain of Responsibility laws for speed compliance within 12 months.
National Transport Commission (NTC) Chief Executive Nick Dimopoulos said last week the focus of the new laws was on the underlying cause of heavy vehicle speeding. Off-road parties in the logistics chain must take “reasonable steps” to ensure their delivery schedules and deadlines do not put pressure on drivers to break road laws, he said.
“Enforcement efforts have traditionally targeted drivers at the roadside and only treat the symptoms of speeding, not the cause,” Mr Dimopoulos said. “We want all parties in the logistics chain to share the responsibility for road safety.”
Existing industry best practices – such as setting sensible deadlines, checking records and promoting company policies on speed control – are effective at managing heavy vehicle speed. Studies also show that speed control policies can reduce fuel use by eight percent and equipment wear and tear by 10 percent.
“The reform is about establishing a culture where speeding is not tolerated, giving drivers a greater say in their schedules, and allowing plenty of time to do the job. Many companies already do this and they deserve to compete on a level playing field,” he said.
Mr Dimopoulos encouraged all parties in the logistics chain to discuss the impact of Chain of Responsibility laws on their business and identify what steps they can take to manage compliance risks.
Penalties include court-imposed corporate fines of up to $50,000, plus three times the estimated commercial benefit gained by breaking the law. Road agencies can also ask the court to impose bans and prohibition orders (such as the fitment of vehicle tracking technology).
Under the NTC’s draft proposal for a single heavy vehicle accreditation framework, meeting an approved standard for managing speed would provide prima facie evidence of taking ‘reasonable steps’.
The importance of sharing responsibility for speed compliance was identified by a Summit to Combat Speeding Heavy Trucks (jointly hosted by the Australian Trucking Association and the NTC). Speed is reported as a factor in 29 percent of heavy vehicle fatalities.
Thiess has announced the creation of a new Tunnelling Division to meet Australia’s burgeoning demand for tunnelling and underground construction.
Thiess Tunnelling manager, Steve Wille, says the team has already achieved a milestone with the delivery of its first Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) last month.
The 3.75m diameter, single-shield TBM will drive 1.69km of Sydney City’s West Cable Tunnel for Energy Australia at depths ranging from 25 to 45.
“This is the new division’s first stand-alone project and it will enable our highly experienced tunnelling specialists to pass on their knowledge to younger members of the team,” Mr Wille said.
Thiess is one of Australia’s most prolific infrastructure construction companies, with iconic projects such as the Snowy Mountains Scheme, Sydney Harbour Tunnel, Lane Cove Tunnel and Melbourne’s $2.5b EastLink project in its portfolio.
While Thiess was already recognised for its rich history in Australian tunnelling, the formation of the separate division would provide a stronger focus on this critical sector of Australian infrastructure, the company said in a statement.
Thiess Tunnelling will provide the Thiess Group with guidance, specialist technical resources, management expertise and plant/equipment for existing projects, major tenders and future projects.
ARF’s first Forum for 2008, sponsored by Caterpillar, is being held in Sydney on Tuesday, April 15.
The full-day Forum at the Watersedge Conference Centre, Walsh Bay, will feature the usual strong array of speakers, including road authority leaders from around the country and a keynote speaker from Caterpillar in the United States talking about the latest developments in road construction equipment and technology.
The ARF Forum is our six-monthly ‘state of the nation’ meeting of Australia’s road industry leaders, and typically attracts representatives from upwards of 70 organisations.
Participants can book their place via the ARF website.
But be quick – numbers are limited to 120 and past Forums at this venue have sold out quickly.
The International Road Federation (IRF) is calling for nominations for the 2008 Global Road Achievement Awards.
The prestigious awards - one of which was won by the ARF in 2007 - recognise excellence and innovation in road development worldwide.
Close of entries is May 30. For more information , visit the IRF website.
Submitted by Mark Bowmer on Friday February 1st 2008 10:09am
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