Hitchhiking is a means of trans-
CREATING INFRASTRUCTURE TO MAKE HITCHHIKING A SAFE AND SOCIALLY PRACTICED ACTIVITY ALONG THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD
port gained by asking strangers for a ride in their car for both short and long distance. The ride is offered in exchange for conversation and company and in some cases a contribution to fuel costs. Most popular in the 1960s and early 1970s, hitchhiking has declined immensely in the last thirty years. This decline has been contributed to the stigma attached to the practice in society after a number of ‘Backpacker murders’, as well as the rise in private car ownership. The authors of Lonely Planet have omitted all references to hitchhiking in their recent editions, author Jennifer Fox feels ‘it is so dangerous we would rather people didn't take the risk’. ducing the amount of cars on the roads. Organised and regulated hitchhiking has potential social and enviTo make hitchhiking again a socially ronmental benefits. These include accepted practice, infrastructure in the increased sociability and interac- form of designated stops and sheltion with local residents, coopera- ters, such as the Hitching Post at Lantiveness and enabling people to caster University, as well as a website ‘cross the barrier of fear and the for drivers to register their details will barrier of selfishness’ as well as re- be implemented. Chesters and Smith, The neglected art of hitchhiking (2001)
Website
An online portal will provide information, advice and protocol for both hitchhikers and lift givers. Drivers interested in picking up passengers from the designated stops register with their drivers licence number and after a criminal record check they are sent a sticker to affix to their windscreen letting passengers know that they are registered and do not pose a threat. The website will be straight forward and easy to use and registration is simple. Another possibility for the website is to include a forum where lifts can be organised . REGISTERED DRIVER
Name: Michael Doolan ID: 234123445M Town/City: Torquay www.hitchvictoria.com.au
Sam Nikolsky
Pick Up Points will be located at 5-10km intervals along the Great Ocean Road between Angelsea and the 12 Apostles. Each point has a space for the car to pull into, a shelter and a raised platform or footpath
Features B100
Pick up/drop off point
Waiting
Shelter from sun, wind and rain Storage for backpacks under bench Rainwater tank Solar powered lights Map Local information Raised platform for safety and visibility Button to signal drivers Notice board
i
B100 Pick up/drop off point
hitchvic.com
Waiting
Signage on the road tells drivers that someone is waiting for a lift. The hitchhiker presses a button inside the shelter which activates the sign.
GREAT OCEAN ROAD You are here
Sam Nikolsky
Inside the shelter will be an information board with a map of the district with bus and hitchhiking stops marked, points of interests as well as an overview of the history of the area from Indigenous tribes to colonial settlement and the construction of the Great Ocean Road. This will provide the hitchers something to do while they are waiting, as well as informing them on the area they are travelling in. Each stop has different
information specific to the area they are in. A community noticeboard will also be a part of the board, where anyone can pin up signs for community events, items for sale such as surfboards or campervans and other such articles.
Pick up/Drop off points
GREAT OCEAN ROAD
The stops are located between 5-10km of each other along the Great Ocean Road. Initially this will be the only route avaliable as there are few turn offs and most traffic is going the same way, however there is the possibility to extend this network across Victoria. Each town has a stop, as does each major tourist attraction ie. Twelve Apostles. Where there are long distances between towns (Fairhaven-Lorne for example), there may be one or two stops along the way. This facilitates people who wish to walk some of the Great Ocean Walk and catch a lift for some sections.
Sam Nikolsky