Road transport is an element of the
Australian transport network
Australian Transport Network (ATN) was a freight railway operator in Australia that commenced operating in November 1997. The company operated narrow gauge trains in Tasmania and standard gauge trains in New South Wales and Victoria. It was form ...
, and contributes to the
Australian economy
Australia is a highly developed country with a mixed-market economy. As of 2022, Australia was the 14th-largest national economy by nominal GDP (Gross Domestic Product), the 20th-largest by PPP-adjusted GDP, and was the 22nd-largest goods ...
. Australia relies heavily on road transport due to Australia's large area and low
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
in considerable parts of the country.
Another reason for the reliance upon roads is that the
Australian rail network has not been sufficiently developed for a lot of the freight and passenger requirements in most areas of Australia. This has meant that
goods
In economics, goods are items that satisfy human wants
and provide utility, for example, to a consumer making a purchase of a satisfying product. A common distinction is made between goods which are transferable, and services, which are not tran ...
that would otherwise be transported by rail are moved across Australia via
road train
A road train, land train or long combination vehicle (LCV) is a trucking vehicle used to move road freight more efficiently than semi-trailer trucks. It consists of two or more trailers or semi-trailers hauled by a prime mover.
History
Early ...
s. Almost every household owns at least one
car
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded as ...
, and uses it most days.
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
is the state with the highest density of arterial roads in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
.
History
Costs and funding
![Road to recovery gnangarra](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Road_to_recovery_gnangarra.jpg)
Funding and responsibility for Australia's road network is split between the three levels of government; Federal, State and Local.
Because of long distances, low population densities, and widely separated major settlements, the costs of and funding for roads in Australia has been, historically, a major fiscal issue for all levels of government, especially Federal and State. The popular phrase 'the tyranny of distance', also the title of a famous historical work, captures the central role of transport in Australian policy, producing many conflicts. It was not until the Bland enquiry in Victoria that there was an attempt to outline the complex questions in economic theory and practice of determining and measuring road costs and their allocation. In 1978-80 the McDonell Enquiry reviewed road and rail freight transport in New South Wales and its affected cities and regions, (the 'hub' of the Australian freight transport system). It was set up because of the 'truckies' blockades and national disturbances which disrupted access to all mainland capitals. These were largely sparked by the levels of road taxes. This Enquiry developed the first comprehensive theoretical and measurement system for assessing and allocating road costs,. This system was subsequently applied more widely, and then extended, with later studies, for the establishment of current national policy and principles.
The
Federal government
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...
provides funds under the
AusLink programme for several funding programs including:
*National Projects
*National Network Maintenance, essentially the
National Highway, comprising the main freeways and highways linking the major cities of Australia
*Roads to Recovery Program - provides funding allocations to councils in each State or Territory.
*
Black Spot Program (improvements to high accident risk spots)
*Strategic Regional Program
*Innovation and Research
*Funding for Local Roads
Other highways and main roads linking regional centres are funded by the respective state governments. Local and minor roads are generally funded by the third tier of government, local councils.
The
Business Council of Australia
The Business Council of Australia (BCA) is an industry association that comprises the chief executives of more than 100 of Australia's biggest corporations. It was formed in 1983 by the merger of the Business Roundtable – a spin-off of the Comm ...
in its Infrastructure Action Plan, estimated that in 2004, road infrastructure was under funded by
A$10 billion.
Roads and highways
![ABS-6291](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/ABS-6291.0.55.003-LabourForceAustraliaDetailedQuarterly-EmployedPersonsByIndustrySubdivisionSex-EmployedTotal-RoadTransport-Persons-A2545646C.svg)
Different standards of roads are generally called by various names. With wide variations in population across the nation, the name of a road does not always reflect the construction or capacity of a particular road.
Freeways, motorways, expressways and tollways
Freeway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...
s are major roads with more than one lane of traffic in each direction designed for higher speed operation. They have barriers or wide median strips separating traffic travelling in opposite directions, and grade-separated intersections without roundabouts or traffic lights in the main route. Some
toll road
A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented ...
s are called
motorway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...
s or tollways to avoid perceived difficulties with charging people to use a ''free''way. Most Australian capital cities have one or more freeways across, past, or leading to them.
When limited-access highways began to be built in Sydney in the 1950s, beginning with the
Cahill Expressway
The Cahill Expressway is an urban freeway in Sydney and was the first freeway constructed in Australia, opening to traffic in 1958. It starts from the Eastern Distributor and Cross City Tunnel in Woolloomooloo, and runs through a series of s ...
, they were provisionally named expressways, but in the 1960s Australian transport ministers agreed that they be called freeways (like in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and other countries). The Cahill Expressway has kept its original name.
Melbourne's South Eastern Freeway
South Eastern Freeway is a freeway in South Australia (SA). It is a part of the National Highway network linking the state capital cities of Adelaide, SA, and Melbourne, Victoria, and signed as National Highway M1. It carries traffic over ...
(now called the 'Monash Freeway') was the second freeway to be opened in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, in 1961. However, it was originally only a short road.
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
has the most extensive major arterial (freeway) network in the country, including tollways.
Highways
There is an
Australian national highway network linking the capital cities of each state and other major cities and towns. The national highway network is partly financed by the
Australian Federal Government
The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...
, but the bulk of funding comes from the individual states. Many argue that more needs to be spent on maintenance and upgrading the network..
Each Australian state government maintains its own network of roads connecting most of the towns in the state. Highways and major roads include
Metroad
Metroads were the primary road routes serving the Sydney and Brisbane metropolitan areas from the 1990s to the early 2010s. The Metroads formed a network of radial and circumferential routes throughout the cities, simplifying navigation. Metroads ...
s,
National Routes,
State Routes and routes numbered according to the
Alphanumeric Route Numbering System.
Some highways in remote areas of Australia are not
sealed
Seal may refer to any of the following:
Common uses
* Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly:
** Earless seal, or "true seal"
** Fur seal
* Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...
for high traffic volumes and are not suitable for the whole range of weather conditions. Following heavy rains they may be closed to traffic.
Minor roads
Local governments
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
maintain the vast majority of minor roads in rural areas and streets in towns and suburbs.
Urban
Urban minor roads in Australia are generally sealed, have a 50 km/h speed limit and most are illuminated at night by street lighting.
Rural
Many rural roads are not sealed but are built with a gravel base or simply graded clear and maintained from the available earth.
Outback
![Connie Sue Hwy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Connie_Sue_Hwy.jpg)
Driving on minor
outback
The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastlines and encompass a n ...
roads off a sealed road can be dangerous, and motorists are generally advised to take precautions such as:
*seeking local advice
*ensuring that someone is aware of your travel plans
*remaining with vehicle in case of a break-down
*awareness of animals such as
kangaroos
Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...
, especially at night
*travelling with an adequate supply of drinking water
Failure to observe these precautions can result in death.
Ferries
The
Spirit of Tasmania
TT-Line Company Pty Ltd, better known by its trading name Spirit of Tasmania is a company which has been operating ferries from mainland Australia to Tasmania since July 1985. The company was separated from the Tasmanian Government's Depart ...
is a service operated by TT-Line with two ocean-going ferries providing a "road" link between Tasmania and the mainland. There is also a
Searoad ferry service across the opening of
Port Phillip
Port Phillip (Kulin languages, Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped bay#Types, enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, ...
connecting
Sorrento
Sorrento (, ; nap, Surriento ; la, Surrentum) is a town overlooking the Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the south-eastern terminus of the Circumvesuviana rail ...
and
Queenscliff.
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island, also known as Karta Pintingga (literally 'Island of the Dead' in the language of the Kaurna people), is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest ...
is connected to
Cape Jervis
Cape Jervis is a town in the Australian state of South Australia located near the western tip of Fleurieu Peninsula on the southern end of the Main South Road approximately south of the state capital of Adelaide.
It is named after the headla ...
by the
SeaLink
Sealink was a ferry company based in the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1984, operating services to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Isle of Wight and Ireland.
Ports served by the company included: Dover, Folkesto ...
service.
Many of the
road crossings over the lower
Murray River
The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...
are provided by government-operated cable ferries.
Road rules and regulation
Economic regulation
Although trucks had played important local carriage tasks since their introduction to Australia, it was not until the 1970s that improved highways and larger trucks allowed the rapid development of long haul operations and intense competition with rail transport. This situation led to the industry disturbances (see section Costs and funding above) on the causes of which the Commission of Enquiry into the NSW freight industry reported. The Enquiry made a series of recommendations for reform involving economic principles, legal provisions, financing, economic regulation and safe operating conditions but found that effective action could not be taken at the State level. It would require re-examination of the central issue of freedom of interstate transport as embodied in
Section 92 of the Constitution of Australia
Section 92 of the Constitution of Australia, Trade within the Commonwealth to be free. as far as is still relevant today is:
This provision has been the cornerstone of significant Australian constitutional jurisprudence, which has also been qu ...
, and the development of appropriate national responses. With this basis, the National Freight Inquiry, completed a comprehensive survey of the national industry with major proposals. This resulted in long running development of new governance arrangements and policy for economic regulation of both road and rail freight transport. As a result, following the cooperative Federalism initiative of the 1990s, these matters are the responsibility of the National Transport Commission, within the general oversight of the Australian Transport Council of Ministers.
Operating regulation
![Tasman Highway at sunset, Hobart, Tasmania](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Tasman_Highway_at_sunset%2C_Hobart%2C_Tasmania.jpg)
Vehicles in Australia are
right-hand drive
Left-hand traffic (LHT) and right-hand traffic (RHT) are the practices, in bidirectional traffic, of keeping to the left side or to the right side of the road, respectively. They are fundamental to traffic flow, and are sometimes referred to ...
, and vehicles travel on the left side of the road. The laws for all levels of government, have been mostly
harmonised so that drivers do not need to learn different rules as they cross state borders. The
usual speed limits are 100 km/h outside of urban areas (110 km/h on some roads where signposted). Major routes in built up areas are 80 km/h and 60 km/h, with streets generally limited to 50 km/h, often not separately signposted. Until the end of 2006, major highways in the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
had no speed limit, but now the maximum speed there is 130 km/h where signposted on the
Stuart,
Barkly,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
and
Arnhem
Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of ...
Highways, with a default of 110 km/h on all other rural roads where not otherwise signposted.
Speed limits are enforced with
mobile and fixed cameras as well as mobile
radar gun
A radar speed gun (also radar gun and speed trap gun) is a device used to measure the speed of moving objects. It is used in law-enforcement to measure the speed of moving vehicles and is often used in professional spectator sport, for things su ...
s operated by
police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
and State Road Authorities such as VicRoads. Heavy transport operators must record their driving time in a log book and take regular rest periods and are limited in how long they can drive without longer sleeping time.
If two roads with two lanes each way meet at a
roundabout
A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford En ...
, the roundabout is marked with two lanes as well. Traffic turning left must use the left lane, and traffic turning right must approach in and use the right lane, travelling clockwise around the island in the centre. Traffic going straight through may generally use either lane. Vehicles must indicate their intended direction when approaching the roundabout, and indicate left when passing the exit before the one they intend to leave on. Vehicles entering the roundabout must give way to vehicles already on it.
Licensing
Typically, the first stage of licensing is gaining a learners permit. The minimum age to get this in most states is 16, and it requires:
* passing a test of knowledge of the road rules
* special
L plates to be displayed, typically displaying a black L on a yellow background
*reduced blood alcohol limits compared to unrestricted drivers (acceptable BAC varies by state)
*a fully licensed driver to be in the car with the learner at all times, who must also be under the legal alcohol limit (0.05 BAC in most states)
* some states will impose maximum speeds for learner drivers (for instance, New South Wales learners are limited to 90 km/h)
* There is No requirement for professional training during the Learning or Probationary licensing periods.
After a set period of time (usually between three and twelve months), and often a certain number of hours practice, the learner driver is eligible to apply for their licence. In most states, there's also an age limit (which ranges from 16 ½ to 18, depending on state). In most states, including NSW, QLD, WA, Tas and ACT, the limit is 17. This process typically involves a practical driving test and a computerised test involving a hazard perception section and possibly some multiple choice questions. The first licence is a restricted licence known as a probationary licence or provisional licence, which typically lasts for up to three years. These drivers must display special plates (design differs across states but may be a white P on a red background, or a red or green P on a white background). This has earned them the name P Platers. Some restrictions placed on these drivers include (dependent on state):
*Reduced blood alcohol limits compared to unrestricted drivers (acceptable BAC varies by state).
*Automatic transmission only if licence test taken in an automatic vehicle.
*Limits on power/performance of cars (certain states only).
*Fewer
demerit point
Demerit may refer to:
* Demerit good, in economics
* Demerit point, awarded for driving infractions in some countries
* negative merit in Buddhism and in Hinduism
People with the surname
* Jay DeMerit, American soccer player
* John DeMerit, f ...
s to be accrued before licence is suspended.
*Speed limitations (certain states only).
![Road Train Australia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Road_Train_Australia.jpg)
Some states have a two-stage probationary licensing system, where the first year of a licence has extra restrictions (and often a different coloured plate) to the later years.
Special licences exist for:
* Cars (which typically enables people to drive a car with up to 12 seats, and up to 4.5 tonnes
GVM)
* Light Rigid trucks and buses
* Medium Rigid trucks and buses
* Heavy Rigid trucks
* Heavy Combination trucks
* Multi Combination trucks (B-doubles and road trains)
* Motorcycles
Heavy vehicle class licences require drivers to have experience at lighter licence classes. In some states, a car licence is acceptable for motorcycles with limited engine capacity.
Vehicles
Cars
Five manufacturers have previously manufactured cars in Australia, all of which ceased local production in or prior to 2017. All were subsidiaries of international companies, but manufactured models designed specifically for the Australian market. They were:
*
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
:
Falcon
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.
Adult falcons ...
,
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fir ...
and
Territory
A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal.
In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...
*
Holden
Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. It was an Australian automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter which sold cars under its own marque in Australia. In its last thre ...
:
Commodore
Commodore may refer to:
Ranks
* Commodore (rank), a naval rank
** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom
** Commodore (United States)
** Commodore (Canada)
** Commodore (Finland)
** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore''
* Air commodore, a ...
,
Statesman/Caprice,
Cruze
*
Mitsubishi
The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries.
Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 1870 ...
:
Colt
Colt(s) or COLT may refer to:
*Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age
People
* Colt (given name)
*Colt (surname)
Places
*Colt, Arkansas, United States
*Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United States ...
,
Sigma
Sigma (; uppercase Σ, lowercase σ, lowercase in word-final position ς; grc-gre, σίγμα) is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 200. In general mathematics, uppercase Σ is used as ...
,
Magna/Verada,
380
Year 380 ( CCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augustus and Augustus (or, less frequently, year 1133 ''Ab urbe c ...
*
Nissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
:
Bluebird
The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas.
...
,
Pulsar
A pulsar (from ''pulsating radio source'') is a highly magnetized rotating neutron star that emits beams of electromagnetic radiation out of its magnetic poles. This radiation can be observed only when a beam of emission is pointing toward Ea ...
,
Pintara
*
Toyota
is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
:
Camry
The Toyota Camry (; Japanese: トヨタ・カムリ ''Toyota Kamuri'') is an automobile sold internationally by the Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota since 1982, spanning multiple generations. Originally compact in size (narrow-body), the Camry ...
,
Corolla and
Aurion
The distance travelled by car in Australia is amongst the highest in the world, behind the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. In 2003, the average distance travelled per person by car was 12,730 km.
Introduction of airbags and ESC into the Australian car market:
Frontal airbags were introduced on Australian market around the 1990s. By 2006, airbag was a standard feature for around 90% of new cars. In 2014, around 80% of the national car fleet had a driver's airbag, and more than 50% a passenger airbag.
It is estimated that frontal airbags reduce fatalities by 20% and side airbags by 51%.
Electronic Stability Control(ESC)began to be sold as a standard feature in Australia from 1999. ESC was mandated for all new passenger cars in 2013 and was mandated for all new light commercial vehicles by 2017. It is estimated that around 29 per cent of the light vehicle fleet was equipped with a form of ESC by 2014. It is considered that ESC reduces fatalities by 53% in some crashes.
Trucks
![Red B-double truck](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Red_B-double_truck.jpg)
Most long-haul road freight is carried on
B-double
A road train, land train or long combination vehicle (LCV) is a trucking vehicle used to move road freight more efficiently than semi-trailer trucks. It consists of two or more trailers or semi-trailers hauled by a prime mover.
History
Early ...
semi-trailer
A semi-trailer is a trailer without a front axle. In the United States, the term is also used to refer to the combination of a truck and a semi-trailer; a tractor-trailer.
A large proportion of a semi-trailer's weight is supported by a tracto ...
s. These trucks typically have a total of 9 axles and two
articulation points . Normal semi- trailers usually have a tri-axle
trailer towed by a twin-drive
prime mover
Prime mover may refer to:
Philosophy
*Unmoved mover, a concept in Aristotle's writings
Engineering
* Prime mover (engine), motor, a machine that converts various other forms of energy (chemical, electrical, fluid pressure/flow, etc) into energy o ...
. In the remote areas of the north and west, three- and four-trailer
road train
A road train, land train or long combination vehicle (LCV) is a trucking vehicle used to move road freight more efficiently than semi-trailer trucks. It consists of two or more trailers or semi-trailers hauled by a prime mover.
History
Early ...
s are used for general freight, fuel, livestock and mineral ores. Two-trailer road trains are allowed closer to populated areas, especially for bulk grain and general freight.
From July 2007, the Federal and State governments approved B-triple trucks that are allowed only to operate on a designated network of roads . A B-Triple is said to carry the load of five semi-trailers. B-Triples are set up differently from conventional road trains. The front of their first trailer is supported by the turntable on the prime mover. The second and third trailers are supported by turntables on the trailers in front of them. As a result, B-Triples are much more stable than road trains and handle exceptionally well.
The largest road transport companies are
Toll Holdings
The Toll Group is an Australian-based subsidiary of Japan Post Holdings with operations in transportation, warehousing and logistics in road, rail, sea and air. It has two divisions; Global Forwarding, Global Logistics.
History
In 1888, Al ...
and
Linfox
Linfox is an Australian transport and logistics and supply chain business founded in 1956 by Lindsay Fox.
History
Linfox was established in 1956 by Lindsay Fox as Lindsay Fox Cartage with one truck in Melbourne. In 1958, a contract with Schweppe ...
, but there are many others, including owner-drivers with only their own truck.
Buses
:''Main category:
Bus transport in Australia
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for char ...
''
![Transperth 2018 Volgren Optimus bodied Volvo B7RLE diesel Rt](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Transperth_2018_Volgren_Optimus_bodied_Volvo_B7RLE_diesel_Rt._502.jpg)
Buses in Australia provide a variety of services, generally in one or more of the following categories:
* route services, following a fixed route and a published timetable, operated by government or private companies
* school services, transporting students to and from school, often under a government-subsidised scheme
* long distance services, providing intrastate and interstate travel between major towns and cities
* tourist services, operating one-day and extended tours to popular destinations
* charter services, offering buses for hire to transport like-minded people to a chosen destination
* shuttle services, providing point-to-point transport, e.g. airport to hotels
* private vehicles, maintained by companies, schools, churches or other organisations to transport their members.
Many aspects of the bus industry are heavily controlled by government. These controls may include age and condition of the bus, driver licensing and working hours, fare structure, routes and frequency of services.
Trams
Trams
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
were used in most Australian cities until the early 1960s. The
Melbourne tram system is the largest in the world and remains an integral part of inner city commuting. Their
car
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded as ...
s intersect with others and large volumes of commuters have ready access to this form of transport. Tram and
light rail systems are being reintroduced to some cities, such as the
network in Sydney. The only remaining tram route in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
is the
Glenelg tram line
The Glenelg tram line is a tram/ light rail line in Adelaide. Apart from a short street-running section in Glenelg, the line has its own reservation, with minimal interference from road traffic.
The service is free in the city centre and a ...
, which was extended through the CBD in 2007 and again in 2009. At the
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
a thirteen kilometre
light rail system opened between Broadbeach and the
Gold Coast University Hospital
Gold Coast University Hospital (abbreviated GCUH or GCH, and sometimes Gold Coast Uni Hospital) is a major health facility offering tertiary level health care for the Gold Coast, Australia, completed in September 2013. The hospital was built on ...
in 2014, and was extended seven kilometres to
Helensvale railway station
Helensvale railway station is a major public transport interchange in the Gold Coast suburb of Helensvale. Helensvale railway station is served by the Queensland Rail Citytrain network Gold Coast line, G:link light rail and Surfside Buslines ...
in 2017.
Motorcycles
Motorcycles account for around 3% of vehicles in Australia.
Bicycles
:''Main category:
Cycling in Australia
Cycling in Australia is a common form of transport, recreation and sport.
Many Australians enjoy cycling because it improves their health and reduces road congestion and air pollution. The government has encouraged more people to start, with se ...
''
In the late-19th and early-20th centuries - the bicycle was used extensively in the
outback
The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastlines and encompass a n ...
and countryside of Australia as an economical means of transport. In the urban areas the bicycle found wide usage where workers were living in reasonable proximity to their places of work - this can be seen in the extent of bicycle racks at
Midland Railway Workshops
The Midland Railway Workshops in Midland, Western Australia, were the main workshops for the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) for over 80 years.
History
The first railway workshops in Western Australia were located at Fremantle an ...
for example.
Over a third of the population ride a bike at least once a year and over half of all households have at least one working bicycle. They are used for recreation, exercise and commuting. Most cities have developed bicycle usage strategies, while some, such as
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
and
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
have extensively promoted bicycle usage and constructed an extensive network of cycleways that can be used by cyclists to travel large distances across the city.
The recreational use of bicycles has been supported by local and state governments producing publications and websites that encourage recreational and more lately utility usage. Considerable numbers of tourists and enthusiasts use road and off-road routes that have been marked or signed for bicycle tours. Good examples are the
Mawson Trail
The Mawson Trail is a long-distance cycling and walking trail in South Australia starting just east of Adelaide in the Adelaide Hills and extending almost to Blinman in the Flinders Ranges. It is suitable for mountain bikes.
The Mawson Trail tr ...
in South Australia and the
Munda Biddi Trail
The Munda Biddi Trail is a long-distance mostly off-road cycling trail in Western Australia. It runs for over from Mundaring to Albany. The completed Munda Biddi Trail opened end-to-end in April 2013 when it claimed the title of the longest c ...
in
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
.
Electric vehicles
Safety
Road transport safety in Australia is of a moderate to high standard. In 2018, fatalities is in the mean of the 30 OECD countries. Road quality, safety barriers and other safety features are of a moderate level in urban areas and of a high standard on new roads; however in regional areas and on some major highways, road quality can be severely affected by lack of funding for maintenance. Speed is limited to around 100 km/h on most highways.
In 2019, the number of people killed on Australian roads is estimated at 1,188 travelers that is 4.7% more than in 2018. This makes 4.7 travelers killed per 100,000 population
Vehicles are moderately safe. Many vehicle users cannot afford newer vehicles and as a result, the second-hand car market is quite large. There are many older model vehicles and while they require a
Road Worthy Certificate (RWC) to ensure basic operation is sound, only newer vehicles have safety features such as crumple zones, air bags, etc. Seat belt usage is very high and it is illegal to not wear a seatbelt.
Several efforts have been made at educating the mass population about road safety, the most prominent and successful being the
Victorian state
Transport Accident Commission
The Transport Accident Commission (TAC) is the statutory insurer of third-party personal liability (CTP insurance in other states) for road accidents in the State of Victoria, Australia. It was established under the Transport Accident Act 1986 ...
(TAC) road safety advertisements, which began in the late-1980s in print and television, which often depicted horrific and graphic road accidents initiated by various causes such as speed, alcohol and drug use, distraction, fatigue and many others. The TAC ads were very effective and reduced the road toll drastically. The method was subsequently adopted elsewhere in Australia and around the world.
Speed limits have been progressively reduced in urban streets, from 60 km/h to 50 km/h and more recently, to 40 km/h near schools, in built up areas and shopping strips. This is to ensure safer stopping distances to minimise/reduce pedestrian injuries and casualties.
Safety varies between remoteness area, from a rate of 2.64 in major cities in 2016, to a rate of 34.58 in remote areas
In 1992, first National Road Safety Strategy was established by federal, state and territory transport Ministers.
The 2001–2010 Australian safe-system strategy, achieved a fatality reduction rate of 34% for a reduction target of 40%.
Pedestrian safety
75.8% of fatal pedestrian crashes involved passenger cars or light commercial vehicles, between 2009 and 2013.
Pedestrians older than 75 have the highest pedestrian fatality rate of any age group.
Fatality risk
An Australian study of the risk of deaths once the accident occurred found various possible factors.
This study concludes that the risk of death is higher in rural area.
This study use the notion of
odds ratio
An odds ratio (OR) is a statistic that quantifies the strength of the association between two events, A and B. The odds ratio is defined as the ratio of the odds of A in the presence of B and the odds of A in the absence of B, or equivalently (due ...
:
Road naming
Each state has independent systems for the naming of roads.
Roads in New South Wales are named in accordance with section 162 of
The Roads Act 1993. Australian Standards AS 1742.5 - 1986 and AS 4212 - 1994 provide a list of road suffixes (such as Alley, Circle, Mall, Street) which are routinely accepted by the
Geographical Names Board.
Authorities
The Australian commonwealth government has had a number of statutory authorities relative to roads including: -
* Australian Transport Council
* National Transport Commission
State governments have been co-ordinated through: -
*
Austroads
Austroads is the apex organisation of road transport and traffic agencies in Australia and New Zealand. It publishes guidelines, codes of practice and research reports that promote best practice for road management organisations in Australasia. A ...
(formerly the National Association of Australian State Road Authorities).
In Victoria the state road authority is the Roads Corporation better known as
VicRoads
VicRoads is a government joint venture in the state of Victoria, Australia. In the state, it is responsible for driver licensing and vehicle registration. It is owned and operated through a joint venture between the Victorian government and a c ...
and in New South Wales it is known as the
Roads and Maritime Services
]
Roads and Maritime Services (also known as Roads & Maritime Services) was an Statutory authority, agency of the New South Wales Government responsible for building and maintaining road infrastructure and managing the day-to-day compliance an ...
(TfNSW).
See also
*
Road transport in Victoria
Victoria has the highest density of roads of any state in Australia. Unlike Australia's other mainland states where vast areas are very sparsely inhabited, Victoria has population centres spread out over most of the state, with only the far nor ...
References
Further reading
* Documents, Australian Transport Council
*
*
* National Association of Australian State Road Authorities (1987) ''Bush track to highway : 200 years of Australian roads'' Sydney.
*
External links
Map with roads in AustraliaVehicle Regulation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Road Transport in Australia