Roads Australia
A report in today’s Australian Financial Review suggests the Federal Government is looking at spending measures rather than tax cuts to give the economy a kick-start.
The Fin Review speculates that the Government may announce a stimulus package ahead of Parliament resuming next Tuesday, with the Federal Labor caucus due to meet on Monday.
Both Victorian Premier John Brumby and NSW Premier Nathan Rees were in Canberra yesterday to put forward their respective cases for Federal funding for infrastructure projects.
In other news, the Sydney Morning Herald reported this week that a private proposal had been put to the NSW Government to build a $1.2 billion road tunnel from Cammeray to the Spit, on Sydney’s north shore.
Also in Sydney, time-of-day tolling on the Harbour Bridge and Tunnel kicked off this week.
The Tele’s downbeat prediction that traffic would be forced onto Victoria Road, causing flow-on congestion across Sydney roads, didn’t eventuate – at least on the first day of changes.
In fact, while harbour crossing traffic in the morning peak was reportedly down by about nine per cent compared to last year, traffic on Victoria Road was also down by six per cent – prompting the Herald to ask, where had all the missing drivers gone?
Notwithstanding, most commentators – including the Government – have stressed it’s far too early to draw conclusions about changing traffic patterns.
Meantime in Brisbane, the Courier Mail predicted this week that traffic congestion was set to worsen as road commuters returned from holidays to find a number of major road projects underway or imminent across the city and on the Gold Coast.
Moving heavier payloads safely and better targeted road spending is the key focus of a feasibility study of incremental pricing for heavy vehicles released by the National Transport Commission (NTC).
Incremental pricing allows transport operators to carry additional mass above national regulated limits by paying the asset owner (ie. road agencies, councils) for the extra road wear and tear.
“Incremental pricing will deliver increased productivity and fewer trucks on the road for the same freight task, resulting in lower freight rates, better safety and fewer transport emissions,” said NTC Acting Chief Executive, Meena Naidu.
“It could also help target infrastructure investment to fix ‘last mile’ bottlenecks, which strangle productivity.”
Ms Naidu said results of an NTC-commissioned survey showed reasonably strong support from industry to carry additional mass and a willingness to pay for this option.
Broad interest was shown across all industry sectors, truck types and routes, particularly with machinery, cars and trucks, petroleum and grocery carriers.
Key issues addressed in the feasibility study include:
The study also builds on the work done by Queensland, New South Wales, Victorian and South Australian state governments in progressing incremental pricing trials.
Incremental pricing is a major component of the Council of Australian Governments’ (COAG) road pricing reform agenda to deliver increased productivity with better links between road use and funding.
“NTC is committed to developing a practical scheme that works for industry as well as government,” added Ms Naidu.
Public comment on the feasibility study is sought until 27 February 2009.
NTC will also be holding stakeholder focus groups in late February/early March 2009. Expressions of interest to attend, including an outline of issues you wish to discuss, should be forwarded to Matthew Clarke, Senior Manager Economics at mclarke@ntc.gov.au
Click here for more information.
NSW RTA Chief Executive Officer, Les Wielinga, is leaving the road authority to head up the State Government’s new Sydney Metro Authority. Michael Bushby, the RTA’s Director of Network Management, is to take over as Acting CEO from February 16.
In making the announcement last week, NSW Roads Minister Michael Daley thanked Mr Wielinga for his outstanding service.
The Minister said Mr Wielinga, who was appointed RTA CEO in July 2006, had played a lead role in developing projects that delivered critical road infrastructure for the people of NSW.
“The Government will formally appoint a new CEO in the coming months,” Mr Daley said.
In his new role, Mr Wielinga will be responsible for overseeing the construction and delivery of the planned CBD Metro rail system, currently estimated at $4.8 billion.
The future direction of the National Transport Commission (NTC) is being reviewed, with industry and members of the public being encouraged to have their say.
The nation's transport ministers, through the Australian Transport Council, have asked an expert panel to review the operations and effectiveness of the NTC, the independent statutory body established to advise governments on the development and implementation of uniform or nationally consistent transport regulations.
The Review Steering Committee will be chaired by Mr Bruce Wilson AM, with assistance from Ms Tania Whyte and Mr Adam Lewis.
The Committee will examine:
The review will provide recommendations on the future of the NTC, including possible amendments to the relevant legislation.
The review's findings and recommendations are due to be presented to the ATC in the middle of the year, which in turn will report to COAG in September.
The Review Steering Committee will consult with industry and key transport organisations. Written submissions close on 6 March 2009.
Click here for further information on the NTC review.
Major construction has started on the $52 million second stage of WA’s Geraldton Southern Transport Corridor, which will remove heavy and oversize vehicles from built up areas west of the city’s airport.
The project will see the construction of 8.7km of new highway between North West Coastal Highway and the Geraldton-Mt Magnet Road.
“Once complete in early 2010, it will remove heavy and oversize vehicles from the Geraldton-Mount Magnet Road (Utakarra Road) where it traverses through the built up areas of Utakarra and Rangeway between the airport turnoff and North West Coastal Highway,” said WA Transport Minister, Simon O’Brien.
The Minister said the mammoth project would see about 360,000 cubic metres of material excavated, with most re-used in low lying areas of the project near the airport.
He said the contractor, Abigroup, would aim to re-use some of the removed limestone by crushing it to use as sub-base material for the project.
The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has called on the Federal Government to spend more on road maintenance as a way of stimulating the economy rather than trying to bring forward more new road projects.
In a pre-Budget submission, the ATA has warned that bringing forward more major projects in an attempt to jump start the economy could simply result in cost blowouts when construction starts in a few years time.
“It takes years to bring a major project to the stage where construction work can start, but the Government needs to boost the economy now,” said ATA Chairman, Trevor Martyn.
“In the ATA’s view, the Government should now spend on road maintenance, which would generate an immediate boost to the economy; maintenance projects can get started very quickly.
“It would also deliver lasting benefits for everyone who uses the roads, because we desperately need more road maintenance spending. Under AusLink, the previous Government allocated $300 million per year to maintenance, but this figure was inadequate from the start.”
Online registration is now open for Roads Australia’s Sixth National Roads Summit and John Shaw Medal Dinner, to be held at the Novotel Brighton Beach, Sydney, on July 28 and 29.
To register online click here or download the registration form and fax or mail back.
Summit organisers Hallmark have also arranged discounted hotel accommodation at our venue. For more information on this and/or to download the Hotel Room booking form, please click here.
The following stories appear courtesy of World Highways.
Key Chinese highway projects
Several key investments and highway projects are being planned in China, most notably in Guangdong province. The authorities in Guangdong province plan to invest US$52.67 billion on water and road transport basic infrastructure in the 2008-2012 time period. In 2009, the province aims to complete the surfacing of 48,000km of rural roads, complete the building of 286km highway out of the 1,012km of highway under construction and ensure the start of the construction of 1,186km of highway.
Meanwhile work on a 24km cross-sea bridge for the Zhanjiang port road is now underway. The new link is expected to open for traffic by the start of 2011. The East Sea Island road bridge project is being built over a two-year period and is costing $182.9 million to build.
Remedies for US transportation problems
A report released jointly by America’s AASHTO and TRIP ( a transport research group) entitled “America’s Top Five Transportation Headaches – and Their Remedies,” identifies crumbling roads and bridges, growing traffic jams, crowded transit systems and rail cars, an unacceptably high rate of traffic crashes and fatalities, and insufficient funding as the top five transportation headaches ailing the nation.
The report also prescribes five remedies for the nation’s transportation headaches, which include moving ahead with ready-to-go transportation construction projects, putting unemployed workers back on the job (particularly in the hard-hit construction sector), using the most cost-effective construction techniques and materials, and following a transportation investment strategy that will provide the nation with a transportation system that will improve mobility, safety and the condition of roads, bridges and transit systems throughout the nation.
UK's highway plans
The UK Government is planning a major investment in the country’s motorway network. The Department for Transport (DfT) is budgeting €6.61 billion on upgrades and most of this will be for widening over 800km of the M1, M25, M3, M4, M6 and M62 motorways. The work will allow the hard shoulder to be used by rush-hour traffic to ease congestion. Hard-shoulder running was given the go-ahead on the M42 around Birmingham following a successful trial in 2008.
Meanwhile an 18km upgrade for Scotland’s M80 worth €352.54 million is to go ahead.
For more road news from around the world, visit the World Highways website.
Submitted by Mark Bowmer on Friday January 30th 2009 12:04pm
© 2008 Roads Australia. Roads Australia does not warrant, guarantee or make any representations regarding the currency, accuracy, correctness, reliability, useability, or any other aspect, of the material presented in Roads Australia Insider, nor of material provided by others to Roads Australia and presented in this newsletter, nor of material provided by others and accessed from this site using links or connections to their Web sites or distribution services. The user accepts sole responsibility and all risk for using material presented on or accessed from Roads Australia Insider. Roads Australia does not accept any liability for any loss or damage which may be incurred as a result of using Roads Australia Insider or any material presented in or accessed from Roads Australia Insider.