The Sydney Morning Herald has launched its own public inquiry into Sydney’s future public transport needs. The inquiry is to be headed up by former NSW RTA head, Ron Christie.
The launch of the inquiry pre-empted a string of articles and opinions in the paper last week focussed on the challenges and possible solutions for the city’s congestion and public transport dilemma.
The inquiry, which has established its own website, is seeking submissions up until October 8 and plans to release a preliminary report in December.
Meantime, congestion problems in other states have also attracted media attention in the past fortnight.
In Melbourne, the Herald Sun reported that tram patronage was soaring, leading to overcrowding problems, and in Brisbane the Courier Mail reported that the commissioning of the city’s new superbuses next year would prompt a drastic overhaul of current traffic arrangements in the CBD and cause congestion on other road routes.
Roads Australia has officially launched its calendar of major events for the remainder of 2009, with a program that includes exclusive boardroom dinners and member luncheons with a host of senior political and industry leaders - and even an iconic Australian sporting figure.
Events by Date Order
Events by State Order
Event Sponsorship
Many of these events are available for Sponsorship.
For all sponsorship and booking enquiries regarding Roads Australia Events, contact Rachael Rooney, Roads Australia Events Director rachael@roads.org.au
The alliance team to build the $310 million Pacific Highway upgrade at Banora Point has been announced this month. The RTA’s preferred partners are Abigroup Contractors, Seymour Whyte Constructions and SMEC.
Work on the Banora Point upgrade is scheduled to start by the end of the year and is scheduled for completed in 2012.
Once completed, this section of road will be a six-lane dual carriageway from Barneys Point Bridge to the Tweed Heads Bypass, while the existing Pacific Highway will be maintained as a local access road.
Alternative alignment options for seven sections of Melbourne’s proposed Outer Metropolitan Ring and E6 transport corridor were released last week for public comment.
Roads and Ports Minister, Tim Pallas, announced that the alternative options had been developed after the initial community consultation process. He said the alternatives aimed to reduce the impact of the alignment on areas of environmental significance, local communities and residents.
The proposed 100 kilometre Outer Metropolitan Ring and E6 transport corridor will link Melbourne’s west and north, creating road and transport connections through Werribee, Melton, Tullamarine, Craigieburn/Mickleham and Epping/Thomastown.
More information, including maps of the proposed alignment and the alternative options, can be found on VicRoads website.
The Australian Automobile Association (AAA) has rejected calls for an increase in petrol excise as part of a broader proposal to the Henry Tax Review to introduce road user charges.
Meantime, local government has signalled it wants to be closely involved in any future move towards a user pays system for roads.
AAA Chief Executive, Mike Harris, said the proposal, released by the Henry Review earlier this month, was nothing more than a revenue-raising exercise.
"Motorists already pay more than their fair share of taxes and charges, including excise which sees only one third going back into the road network – and two thirds going to pay for other government services," he said.
"The suggestion to increase excise as a source of revenue and introduce a road user charge system as well, which is contained in a consultant's report commissioned as part of the Henry Review, is an insult to the community and makes public discussion of a sensible charging regime more difficult.
"AAA supports a proper user pays approach to paying for our road networks, similar to that used for other utilities such as electricity and water – but the underlying prerequisite is the abolition of the fuel excise."
The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) says its members want to be closely involved in any future move to introduce user charges for travel on Australian roads.
"Local government is responsible for more than 80 per cent of the total Australian road system and road maintenance costs are the single biggest expenditure item for most councils," ALGA President, Cr Geoff Lake, said earlier this month.
"Local government generally supports the principle recommended in the Clarke/Prentice report that there should be a direct linkage between the use of road infrastructure, charging and funding. Future reform that more directly links funding of local roads to their usage would be welcomed by local government."
ALGA says there is currently no linkage between the use of local roads and road funding. Local roads are funded from rates levied on land holders and from ad hoc additional government grants which are mainly provided by the Federal Government.
"The current arrangements for funding the vast bulk of Australia's road system have not changed from the nineteenth century when local government grew out of local road boards," Cr Lake said.
"Times have now moved on and so must outdated road funding and taxation arrangements.
"Councils are required to maintain more than 80 per cent of Australia's roads without being able to access a more equitable way of meeting these immense costs. Local Government urges the Federal and State and Territory governments to give careful consideration to the feasibility of user charging for our roads, including local roads, to ease the burden on Australian ratepayers."
Macmahon announced last week it had been awarded an alliance contract to upgrade a section of the Pacific Highway, south of Grafton.
The $54 million project for the NSW RTA involves duplicating and upgrading a seven-kilometre section of the existing highway between Wells Crossing and Iluka Road.
Macmahon Chief Executive Officer, Nick Bowen, said it was the first alliance-style road contract Macmahon has undertaken with the RTA in NSW.
“This award highlights our ongoing success in winning government funded infrastructure works and we are pleased to be partnering with the RTA to deliver this important project,” he said.
“Our portfolio of work in this state is continuing to expand, with this being the sixth construction contract won in NSW in the past nine months.”
Macmahon NSW State Manager, Joe Hauser, said the win demonstrates the capacity and capabilities of the NSW division.
“This is an excellent win for the Construction Business and shows the strength of the team we now have in NSW,” he said.
Meantime, a 13 kilometre northbound section of new dual carriageway was opened on the Pacific Highway between Karuah and Bulahdelah last week.
The section was completed by Abigroup ahead of schedule, despite losing 43 weeks due to rain.
Steve Kiddle, Abigroup’s K2B Project Director, said: “To deliver this section of work ahead of schedule and with a ‘superior’ quality delivery is a remarkable achievement by the Abigroup K2B team, given the amount of time we’ve lost due to rain."
To the south of the State, the $179 million Coolac Bypass on the Hume Highway was officially declared open by Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister, Anthony Albanese, and NSW Roads Minister, Michael Daley, on August 14.
The Federal Government is calling for funding submissions to improve road safety for trucks and heavy vehicles under the $40 million second and final round of the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program.
The Government is committed to building more rest stops and investing in cutting-edge technology to make highways safer for truck drivers and motorists.
It is seeking projects from state and territory governments and the trucking industry that can help cut the number of speed and fatigue-related fatalities involving heavy vehicles on roads.
These include:
All up the Government is providing $70 million for safety projects through this Program. The first round of $30 million has already provided to 150 projects earlier this year.
Submissions for round two of the HVSPP will be taken until 30 September 2009.
For further information go to the Government's Nation Building website.
The Queensland Government has this month revealed its latest weapon in the battle against road congestion, the new Heavy Vehicle Response Unit.
In a staged event simulating a real-life traffic accident, Premier Anna Bligh and Main Roads Minister, Craig Wallace, unveiled the new vehicles designed to lift heavy trucks and semi-trailers.
Special features of the Australia-first HVRU vehicles include:
“These new specially-designed HVRUs will have a significant impact on tackling congestion in Brisbane, cutting the time to move heavy vehicles and their loads from three hours or more to an average target time of 45 minutes,” said the Premier.
“We know that about 25 per cent of congestion is caused by traffic crashes and vehicle breakdowns.
“In the past 12 months, there have been 176 major incidents involving heavy vehicles in the Brisbane metropolitan area, including 32 truck rollovers.
“The road network experiences very heavy congestion levels following these incidents but with these trucks in tandem with the new Open Roads legislation we introduced last year clean times will be slashed.”
Mr Wallace said the HVRUs were expected to hit the road in September following training of staff to use the vehicles.
In other Queensland news, construction has started on the $30 million Coomera Interchange upgrade project.
Mr Wallace said the project was part of the Federal and State governments’ $420 million commitment to upgrade the Pacific Motorway between Nerang and Tugun, plus the Coomera Interchange, on the Gold Coast.
The commitment includes upgrading four interchanges between Nerang and Varsity Lakes, the widening of the motorway to six lanes between Nerang South and Worongary including safety works to the Worongary Interchange, as well as upgrading the Coomera Interchange.
“This interchange upgrade will improve travel times for motorists and help ease congestion at this busy interchange,” Mr Wallace said.
Last week the Minister also officially commissioned the $29 million Gold Coast Highway upgrade and bus lanes project between Broadbeach and Miami.
Transfield Services has announced a C$150 million, 12-year asset management contract with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. The contract is Transfield Services’ first transport services contract in Canada and will begin in April 2010.
Transfield Services will provide road, bridge and systems maintenance, sustaining capital works, snow and ice management and emergency response services to 2,500 kilometres of the road network in Ontario’s North Bay area. North Bay is situated 321 kilometres north of Toronto.
Earlier this month Transfield Services also announced it had renewed two contracts with the Florida Department of Transportation and the District Department of Transportation, Washington D.C., totalling US$44 million.
An innovative land swap negotiated by the South Australian Government will pave the way for Adelaide’s second purpose-built transit-oriented development (TOD).
The proposed land swap involves the former Sheridan (Actil) factory site and the St Clair Oval on Woodville Road – both 4.7 hectares in size.
Infrastructure Minister, Patrick Conlon, said the land swap is subject to community consultation by the City of Charles Sturt.
“This is a very exciting opportunity to create a ground breaking transit oriented development which will help revitalise Adelaide’s western suburbs,” he said.
“World class transit-oriented developments are exactly what we want to see along our new electrified public transport routes.
“These developments are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable, and comprise an exciting mix of residential, retail and commercial activity not yet seen in Adelaide.”
The development supports the State Government’s recently released 30 Year Plan for Greater Adelaide, by concentrating growth in an area that is surrounded by a transport corridor and that includes a vibrant mix of housing.
Submitted by Mark Bowmer on Friday August 28th 2009 2:14pm
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