News
More than $250 million of regional road upgrades for WA
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ore than $250 million of road safety upgrades will be rolled out across approximately 4,000 kilometres of regional Western Australian roads this financial year, reducing the risk of run-off-road crashes and supporting local jobs. Funded through the Regional Road Safety Program, low cost treatments such as sealing existing unsealed road shoulders and installing audible edge or centre lines to warn drivers who veer over the white line, will be delivered across the State. The Regional Road Safety Program is jointly funded by the Commonwealth and Western Australian Governments, with an initial $100 million of works underway already, and another $158 million allocated to be spent by the end of this financial year. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said
the Australian Government had allocated billions of dollars to road improvements across regional Australia. "This funding will be rolled out on a 'use it or lose it basis', which means the delivery of life-saving upgrades to regional roads across Western Australia is on the horizon. The 'use it or lose it' provisions require States and Territories to use their notionally allocated funds within a timeframe, or the funds can be reallocated to projects in other jurisdictions. Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan said the program would roll out more potential lifesaving treatments on up to 7,000 kilometres of roads across regional Western Australia. "This tranche of funding will provide much needed upgrades to key roads all across our State from the Kimberley to the Great Southern, supporting local jobs and
NHVR- sanctioned drones patrolling highways
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s revealed in a recent tender, the NHVR has called for bids from suppliers Australia wide to provide ‘target or reconnaissance’ drones, and other Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera technology to facilitate the monitoring and interception of high-risk heavy vehicles, operators and journeys. It is envisaged that the drones will soon be patrolling highways within the NHVR jurisdictions to help the regulator monitor ‘high risk’ truck movements. In the tender outline, the NHVR said the mobile technology is to be used on a trial 16
WATM • March 2021
basis to complement the fixed National Safety Camera Network (NSCN). It is anticipated that these cameras will be rolled out by the middle of 2021 for an initial trial period of three months. The initial trial will include two trailermounted cameras, two vehicle-mounted cameras and one drone camera, across the NHVR’s Southern Operations region – including the ACT, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria, said a NHVR spokesperson. “These cameras will assist NHVR’s officers in undertaking an intelligence-
providing a much-needed economic boost to the regions." Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport Scott Buchholz said regional roads were vital to the economyshaping work of the State's freight fleet. "From Western Australia's world-class wool to the thriving iron-ore exports, local truckies work hard travelling the regional road network to keep the economy ticking along and businesses running by getting goods to markets," Assistant Minister Buchholz said. Western Australian Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said work on the 34 projects funded by the $100 million were already underway with another 62 projects, worth $158 million to get off the ground. Key projects funded through this tranche include more than $8 million for upgrades to Great Northern Highway, more than $7 million for North West Coastal Highway and more than $5 million for upgrades to Albany Highway in Wagin. The $455 million commitment to improve road safety across the State is jointly funded by the Australian and Western Australian Governments. .
ATA Charges Survey
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he ATA is looking for your insights about truck charges, the costs you can pass on to your customers and how easy or hard it is to change your freight rates. Its part of the work they are doing to prepare the industry’s response to the NRTC’s heavy vehicle charges consultation report which looks at: • reducing the fuel tax credits you can claim by 0.6 cents per litre and • increasing the national roads component of truck and trailer registration charges by 2.5 per cent, in the states that apply the national charges. The survey takes less than 10 minutes is anonymous and you could win $50 gift card. Go to: www. surveymonkey.com/r/3XJM38H
led and risk-based approach to safety by ensuring enforcement efforts target the greatest safety risks. “Smarter camera technology will also assist in identifying operators who are doing the right thing, who can then expect to be less regularly intercepted by the NHVR.”
