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711. 3099 456 TOWN & COUNTRY [;IKI GIP:V PLANNING BOARD ~ wp4 lllBCO ~-- 3535 ' lliilii~I~~ ~ TOWN AND COUNTRY M0004099 . PLAN N1 NG HP .£\.rD.a:· LIBRARY
TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING BOARD
~AST GIPPSLAND REGIONAL STUDY
WORKING PAPER NO. 4
"TRANS PORT AND COMMUNICATION"
JULY 1977 ·'
.,
711.3099 5714006 456 GIP:V Transport and wp4 communicatiOn
' . / TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
INTRODUCTION
1. Principal Characteristics of Existing Transport and Communication Services. 3
2. Transport and Communication Issues in Regional Planning. 14 LIST OF TABLES
TABLE PAGE
1.1 Length of Sealed and Unsealed Roads in Municipalities of East Gippsland 1973/74. 6
1.2 Dwellings in Municipalities of East Gippsland with T.V. Receivers, 1971. 7
1.3 Availability of Motor Vehicles at Private Dwellings in East Gippsland 1971 9
1.4 Summary Data on Movement of Goods in Central and East Gippsland, 1971. 11.
1. 5 Rail Freight Movements at stations in East Gippsland 1975/76
1.6 Summary of Mail Traffic at official Post Offices in East Gippsland 1975/7~ 12
1. 7 Percentage of Sale Residents listening to various Radio Stations (and Frequency) 1974 13
i.8. Sales of Metropolitan Daily Newspapers in East Gippsland 1976 13
:2 .1 Traffic on Roads in East Gippsland . 1972/76. 15
2.2 Composition of Traffic on Roads in . EastGippsland 1972, 1976 16 .. 2.3 Selected Data Relating to Road Traffic in East'Gippsland during Christmas/ New Year Holiday Period 18
2.4 Percentage change in Population and Rail Eassenger Journeys for Selected Urban Centres in Victoria 1935-1970 19
2.5 Changes in Outward Passenger Journeys and Population at Railway Stations in East Gippsland 1970/71 - 1975/76 19 2.6 Freight Movements to and from Railway Stations in Central Gippsland, 1970/71, 20 1973/74 I 19,75/76
2.7 Selected Statistics Relating to Mail Traffic in East Gippsland Region, 1970/71, 1973/74, 1975/76 21
2.8 Major Works Completed on Princes Highway East in East Gippsland, 1971/72- 1975/76 25 LIST OF TABLES (cont'd)
2.9 Country Roads Board Programme for ·• Upgnading Princes Highway East 1978 to 1982. 26
2.10 Percentage of Total Revenue Expenditure Devoted to Roads and Streets by Municipalities in East Gippsland, 1967/68 to 1973/75 31
2.11 _Percentage of Total Loan Fund Expendi ture Devoted to Roads and Streets by Municipalities in East Gippsland 1967/68 to 1973/74 32
2.12 Comparison of Costs of .. Travel between East Gippsland and Melbourne 35
.. ~ LIST OF FIGURES
1. East Gippsland Transport Network - Major Features 3
2. State Highways and Declared Main Roads 4
3. Official Post Offices in East Gippsland 6
4. Circulation of Local Newspapers 7
5. Patterns of Telephone Traffic - East Gippsland 10
6. Omeo Highway - Proposals for Re-routing. · 27
_) INTRODUCTION .. 1. A PROGRAMME OF REGIONAL PLAl>lN;I:NG STUDIES . During.1976/77, the Town·and Country Planning Board, in conjunction with the East.G~ppsland Regional Planning Committee, is undertaking a programme of studies relating to various aspects of plaru)ing for the future of the East GippslandRegion. The study programme is divided into a number of separate study activities and tasks, as summarised below.
STUDY ACTIVITY TASK 1. Demographic & Economic Factors A .-.Analysis of Structure B Industry Analysis C - Projection of Employ ment and Population 2. Land/Resource Use Conflicts A - Review of Patterns B - Identification of Conservation Areas C - Rural Subdivision
3. Physical Infrastructure and A ~ Water Supply, Sewerage Basic Services and Drainage, Waste Disposal B - Transport and Commun ication. 4. The Availability of Social A - Development of Services and Facilities Methodology B - School Leavers Survey C Accessibility to Services D - Rural Industry Decline E Housing F - care of the Aged 5. Legislative/Administrative A - State and Local Framework of Planning Government Planning Powers B - Coverage of Planning Control 6. The Role of Local Government 7. Role of Tourism· in East A - Economic, Social and Gippsland Physical Impact of Tourism· B - Implications of Seasonal Pattern C - Policy Requirements
2. SCOPE AND PURPOSE OF WORKING PAPER NO. 4 .The Board is issuing progressively Ci series of Working Papers incorporating the results of the analysis incorporated into each task or activity. The puri>ose o:f these Working Papers is to facilitate and encourage as widespread discussion as. possible of the various issues involv~d in formulating ef fec tive planning strategies and polic.ies for· the future of the East Gippsland Region. · 2· =
This fourth wor'king Ppaer reports on .the analysis of "Transport.and Communication" in the East Gippsland Region embraced by Study Actj,.vity No.· 3, Task B (see above). The objectives of that analysis were as follows:
(i) to undertake a broad review of the existing situation with respect to the availability, cost, quality and reliability of transport and communication facilities and services in East Gippsland; (ii) to assemble data relating to the capacity of the existing transport and commUnications network (including extensions and modifications currently proposed by the various responsible authorities) to cater for the.demand for such facilities in the region and its component parts in the future, having regard ·to the leve.l and nature of economic and population growth which appears likely to take place; and (iii) to provide a .·basis for. developing recommendations relating to the programming of works required in various parts of the regiop in the future, having regard to the strategic planning options which appear to be availal:>le to the region in the future.
Working Paper No. 4 is divided into two chapters as follows: (i) Chapter 1 describes the principal characterist ics of existing transport and communic~tion services and facilities in the East Gippsland. Region and discusses the role which the various services and facilities play in the economic and social life of the region; and (ii) Chapter 2 identifies and discusses some of the major issues involved in the future planning and provision of transport and communication services and facilities in East Gippsland, having '.~egard to the character and condition of existing networks and services, existing plans and programmes for the further development of that network, and possible changes in the character of demand .for tr.ansport and communication services and facilities .i,n. the future.
The formulation of plani;; _and p:r:~·rammes .. for the construct ion and operation of .tran·sport and communication facilities in the East Gippsland Region, as elsewhere in Victoria, is a complex, highly specialised and time consuming task. The Board has neither responsibility nor the competence to undertake the specialised planning activities associated with the provision of such facilities. Rather the present Working Paper.Seeks to ·identify the role .which transport and communication facilities will be called on to play in the future economic and social life of East Gippsland, and to identify and discuss the prj,.ncipal implications for regional strategic planningof the provision ·of transport and communi cation faciliti1as and services. FIGURE 1: TRANSPORT NETWORK - MAJOR FEATURES
r--..\.. \,,.r I ... ( ' .... l. ' '\ ...... ___ \.1 ___ / .... ' ....
SCALE·· 20 10 0 20 40 l...... -1 1:;;?'"1 kilometres Highways Other Major Roads . I I I II I . Rai1ways 0 Ai.rports * Mi.1i.tary Aerodrome 3
1. PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS OF EXISTING TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION SERVICES. This chapter describes the main features of existing transport and conununication networks and services in East Gippsland. Its purpose is to provide a data base for the discussion of the major issues surrounding. the future provision of transport and conununication services and facilities in East Gippsland which appears in Chapter 2. Chapter 1 is divided into three parts as follows:
Section 1.1 provides an overview of the existing network of transport and conununication facilities and services in the Reg~on and reviews the relationship between the existing network and the physical character and historical development of the Region.
Section 1.2 describes in detail the different sorts (modes) of transport and conununication facilities and services available in the region.
Section 1.3 reviews the role which each mode plays in the economic and social life of East Gippsland.
1.1 An Overview of the Transport and Conununications System In .East Gippsland (a) Principal Features of the Existing Network Transport and Communications in East Gippsland centre around a corridor running laterally through the coastal plain incorporating the Princes Highway and the trunk rail route connecting the region to Melbourne. From this central spine extends a network of State highways, declared Main Roads and minor roads, which link smaller centres in the Region to the main transport spine and to the major urban centres of Sale and Bairnsdale.
These ~ain features of the transport network in the Region are shown on Figure 1.
Complementing these Iand-ba$ed transport systems in the Region are a series of airfields located at Sale, Baitnsdale, Mallacoota and Orbost - only some of which are capable of taking regular services (See Figure 1), a network of official and unofficial post offices, and an extensive network of teleconununications services (Radio, T.V. and telephones). _The Region is also served by local and Melbourne based newspapers.
(b) Physical, Historical and Land Use Setting As in any Region, the transport and conununications net work in East Gippsland reflects the influence of the location and physical character of the Region, its historical development and its economic, social and cultural links with other p,arts of the State ~nd Australia.
Physically, the most influential aspect in the development of the network has been the isolation of both the region as a whole from the rest of the State, and of areas within the region from each other. I FIGURE 2: STATE HIGHWAYS AND DECLARED MAIN ROAD ......
f\ >-\ ...... I ' . I ----- ... I ...... I I I / Lico la '\.\ I I I I I Heyfield I/-.,...... SCALE 20 10 0 20 40 IZ1 . l;;;;:zt kilometres
State Highway C.R.B. Main road Tourist road Forest road 4
East Gippsland is the most easterly of Victoria's Regions and is bounded to the west and north by the Great Dividing Range, to the north-east by the territorial border with New South Wales, and to the ea·st and south by Bass Strait. The Region is most readily accessible from a narrow strip of coastal plain in the south-west which opens onto the coastal area of South Gippsland and to the Latrobe Valley, both of which lie within the Central Gippsland Region. As with movement to and from the Region, movemen.t within the area is constrained by physical barriers which successively restrict access as one moves northwards from the coastal plain through the foothills to the mountains.
The historical developm~nt of the region has reinforced the natural dominance of the coastal plain as a preferred area for settlement, and the most comprehensive transport and communication links in the Region; have been established in that area. Despite the early prosperity brought by gold and other mining activities in the mountains, there· has been no significant resource that could have warranted the development of a comprehensive transport and communications network in the northern part of that Region. The early settlement of the Region was mainly by pastoralists who spread inland from the original settlement establishe~ at Port Albert (in Central Gippsland) by Angus McMillan in 1841. Coach transport in the 1860's travelled to Melbourne from Bairnsdale via Sale and Port Albert and the railway line from Melbourne was constructed along the coastal plain reaching Sale in 1877 and Bairnsdale in 1888. Even the discovery and subsequent exploitation of the region's newest and most lucr~tive natural resource (oil and natural gas) in the 1960's reinforced the historical concentration of development in the coastal strip, particularly in the city of Sale.
1.2 Characteristics of Individual Transport and Communication Systems Section 1.2 provides a more detailed description of the physical features of the main transport and communication systems in East Gippsland.
(a) Roads (i)' State Highways and Main Roads: The State Highways and Country Roads Board de clared Main Road Network in East Gippsland region is shown· on Figure 2. The Princes Highway is the central feature of the' road configuration, extending from Sale in the west of the region through Bairnsdale, Lakes Entrance, Orbost to pass into New South Wales in the east. Traffic flows along this route predominant over movements in other parts of the region, and the main secondary flows occur along routes which emanate from the Highway.
__ j 5
As with all Victoria's main highways, the Princes Highway serves a number of functions, some asGociated with its historical role as a link between communities with common social, cultural, and economic characteristics, and .other newer ones arising out of the development of a highly mobilised society. In its historical role~ the Highway has acted as a link between the major regional centres of Sale and Bairnsdale together with less populous centres such as Stratford and Orbost. It has also fostered the development of the lonqtime popular and now expanding coastal township of Lakes Entrance through its provision o~ ready access for holidaymakers.
This newer role has become increasingly signif icant in providing a relatively easy access to the.Region for Melbourne people wishing to holiday in the region. The Highway also offers an alternative (more leisurely) route to the Hume Highway ·£0~'.:people travelling between Sydney and Melbourne.
(ii) Rural Roads The network of State Highways and declared main roads shown in Figure 2 is supplemented through out the Region by an extensive network of rural roads maintained by municipalities. A large proportion of these roads are unsealed, particu larly in those municipalities which are primarily 'rural' in character. (See Table 1.1).
(b) Railways As indicated in Figure 1, rail services in East '• Gippsland are based on the line linking Sale and Bairnsdale via the Latrobe Valley. The line is electrified as far as Traralgon in Central Gippsland with services beyond that point being provided b~ diesel locomotives.
The initial rail link with the region was established in 1879 when the line reached Sale. However the first line to Bairnsdale did not pass through Sale but departed from the main track at Traralgon connecting with Heyfield (1883), and then extending in succession to Maffra, Stratford and Bairnsdale (1888). The connection between Sale and Stratford was then forged in 1888 thus establishing the major rail route. A year.later in 1889 a branch line from Maffra to Br~agalong was constructed and some time later, in 1916, the major route was completed when it was extended to Orbost. Of more recent times two of the lines have been fully or partially closed - Maffra to Bti:a.,galong in 1952 and passenger service from Traralgon to Maffra in 1977 - leaving the major li~e as the only one in the region •.
(c) Air Transpo.rt As indicated in Figure 1, civil airfields in the Region are 'located at Sale, Bairnsdale, Orbost and Mallacoota. FIGURE 3: LOCATION OF OFFICIAL POST OFFICES
Bruthen • •Orbost
SCALE 20 10 0 20 40. IZ1 ,____. kilometres 0 Sale East, R.A.A.F. Base 6
Until recently, scheduled air ·services are operated oµt of Sale and provide a twice daily return service between. Sale and Melbounre (via Bairnsdale and the Latrobe Valley). Residents in the western part of East Gipp~~ land also have access to the aerodrome at Traralgori in Central Gippsland.
TABLE 1.1 LENGTH OF SEALED AND UNSEALED ROADS IN MUNICIPALITIES OF EAST GIPPSLAND 1973/74.
Municipality Sealed Unsealed Total Length Length % Length % Krns. (kms) Total (kms) Total
Avon 208 29.4 500 70.6 708 Bairnsdale (T) 60 55.6 48 44.4 108 Bairnsdale (S) 264 23.4 866 76.6 1,130 Maffra 415 53.8 357 46.2 772 Orneo 119 5.7 1955 94.3 2,072 Orbost 159 20.5 617 79.5 776 Rosedale* (_781 62.0 (355) 38.0 (933) Tambe 196 22.6 670 77 .4 866 Sale 48 55.2 39 44.8 87
Source: Australian Municipal Information System Note: * Only a small proportion of these roads are located in the East Gippsland Region.
(d) Postal Services East Gippsland is serviced by a network of nine official and forty-six unofficial post offices which provide a comprehensive mail ser~iee to all parts of the Region. (Orneo post office ·has recently been relegated to non-official status.) The locations of official post offices are shown in Figure 2 •. Many non-official post offices are conducted on behalf of Australia Post by agents, often in conjunction with the agent's own business (e.g. newsagent, milk-bar and cherni st. )
A significant recent development in postal services in East Gippsland is the establishment of a Regional Mail Centre at Morwell. Although outside the East ·Gippsland region, this centre will serve all post offices in East Gippsland as well as those in Central Gippsland. The site has been purchased in Morwell and construction has commenced. Mail corning from or en route to any other part of the nation will pass through this centre for sorting and despatch rather than to the Melbourne Mail Exchange which presently performs this function.
(e) Telecommunications Telecommunications services in East Gippsland consist of telephone services and radio and T.V. services. The main features of each service are summarised below. -~ . '\ --- '\ FIGURE 4: CIRCULATION OF LOCAL NEWSPAPERS lr:_. \./'· / / . "(-, I , . ff / ·'-., I / ' ... ,, " t-., I ' ...... ,_ >-\ \I --~ - I '-- l ·········· .... '-- / ...... ----;/ ······ ...... I .flvv.t>t>* •••••• , I 4i i t:.t:. • •. •••••• '-..... 4• t:... • . I ...... / 4 4 • •••• / 4 • 4 • •• I. t:.. • 4 '• •• •• /t:.. •
(i) Telephones The Region contains by 43 automatic telephone exchange~ serving 12,500 subscribers and 10 manual telephone exchanges serving 900 subscribers. All of the seryices connected to automatic exchanges have access.to national subscriber trunk dialling (STD). Thus approximately 93% of subscribers in the region have access to STD, compared with 87% for country Victoria as a whole. (ii) Radio and T.V. Radio services in East Gippsland are provided by national and commercial stations transmitting from Sale (3GI and 3TR respectively) and the national station 3MT Omeo which opened in 1976.
T.V. services in the Region are provided by the national station ABLV-4 and the commercial station GLVlO located in the Latrobe Valley. The only T.V. transmitter in the Region is located at Orbost; this relays programs from ABLV-4 to East Gippsland.
Because of the topographical character of the Region, radio and T.V. reception in many parts of the Region is relatively poor. As a consequ ence, as shown in Table 1.2, less than a quarter of private dwellings in East Gippsland had access to television in 1971 ·(compared with an average of 80.3% for Victoria as a whole and 81.0% for the non-metropolitan areas of Victoria.)
TABLE 1.2 DWELLINGS IN MUNICIPALITIES OF EAST GIPPSLAND WITH T.V. RECEIVERS, 1971.
Municipality No. of Total Percentage. of dwellings Dwellings total dwellings with with television television
Orbost·shire 1,118 6,301 17.74 Tambe Shire 1,293 5,888 21.96 Omeo Shire 300 1,868. 16.06 Avon Shire 601 3,090 19.45 Maffra Shire 1,903 8,515 22.35 Bairnsdale(S) 898 3,741 24.00 Bairnsdale(T) 2,072 8,552 24.23 Sale City 2,286 10,436 21.90
Source: A.B.S. 1971 Census Data.
·cf) Newspapers Newspapers circulating in East Gippsland include the Age, Sun and Herald pubslished in Melbourne and several local papers - the Bairnsdale Advertiser, Gippsland Times (pub lished in Sale) and the Snowy River Mail (published in Orbost). These latter papers circulate mainly in the vicinity of the centres in which they are published, al though in East Gippsland as may be seen from Figure 4, 8
this often involves a substantial area. l. 3 The Role of •rransport and Communications Services in the Economic and Social Life of East Gippsland Transport and Communications facilities and services play a vital roie in the economic and social life of the East Gippsland. This role comprises three main elements, viz. (a) Facilitating the movement of people.for a variety of purposes - school, work, shopping, recreation and access to community services; (b) Facilitating productive activity in the region by transporting supplies to and within the region and the output of the region's industries to markets within and outside the region; (c) Facilitating the exchange and transmission of information, for a variety of purposes within and to and from the Region.
The following paragraphs review the roles which each of the systems described in Section 1.2 plays in discharging these separate elements of the 'regional transport and communica tion task' and the way in which those roles have changed overtime.
(a) . Movement of People Available data on the movement of people within the East Gippsland Region and to and from the Region and other parts of the State is very limited. Nonetheless it is clear that most movement of people for work, shopp ing, business and recreation purposes in the Region takes place by private car. Thus as indicated by Table 1.3, at 30th. June., .1971, less than 5% of private dwellings in East Gippsland lacked access to a motor vehicle, and at many dwellings 2 or more vehicles were available. The total number of outward passenger journeys from railway stations in East Gippsland in 1975/76 was 62,424 which is only slightly more than 1 per head of population for the whole year. Most of these journeys would of course be interregional trips, the main destination being Melbourne.
Bus Services also play a role in the movement of people in the Region. The main services provided are: (i) Urban services in Sale and Bairnsdale cater for 1.ocal school, worker and shopper traffic; (ii) Two interstate services linking Melbourne with New South Wales (Bega) have the ability to carry passengers to Orbost and destinations east of Orbost; (iii) Rural passenger services linking Sale, Bairnsdale and Orbost with smaller centres in the Region. There are eleven such services in East Gippsland; and {Iv) School bus services which play a vital role in transporting children in remote parts of the Region to primary and (in particular) secondary and technical schools throughout East Gippsland. More than 3000 pupils are carried on these services daily in East Gippsland. More than 2,200 of these travel to high and technical schools in Sale and Bairnsdale. .TABLE +.3 AVAILABILITY OF MOTOR VEHICLES AT PRIVATE DWELLINGS IN EAST GIPPSLAND 1971
Population Percentage Municipality . No • of Dwellings with: of dwell- No. One Two 3 or + Not ings with Vehicles Vehicle Vehicles Vehicles Stated no vehicles
. Orbost Shire 215 843 443 148 35 6,301 3.41 Tambe Shire 204 -897 426 120 39 5,888 3.46 Orne.a .Shire 50 220 163 89 10 1,868 2.68 Avon Shire 52 381 213 ·.100 8 3,090 1.68 Maf fra Shire 273 1136 629 271 37 8,515 3.21 Bai:i:nsdale Shire 107 537 362 113 15 3,741 2.86 Bairnsdale Town 418 1332 633 134 27 8,552 4.89 Sale City 368 1622 . 675 155 54 10,436 3.53
Source: A.B.S. 1971 Census Data.
------. FIGURE 5: TELEPHONE TRAFFIC BY ERLANGS SOURCE: TELECOM AUSTRALIA
\ I Orbost I • I
SCALE 20 10 0 20 40 1%1 l_...------:J ERLAN~S kilometres 0-15 5... 10 10 ... 15 10
\ (b) Movement of Goods Movement of goods within the East Gippsland Region is undertaken both by road and by rail. Most local transport of goods is undertaken by road. The data in Table 1.4 show that road transport plays the predominant role in the transport of produce through out Gippsland (including timber, paper products, dairy products, fruit and vegetables and various building materials). (It should be noted that Table 1.4 relates to movement of goods both Central and in East Gippsland , .and does not ct>ver all goods ~ovement) •
Movements of freight to and from railw~y stations in East Gippsland in 1975/76 are shown in Table 1.5. The level of outward freight movements at most stations is generally much less than inward freight. Much of the rail freight movements at Stratford, Nowa Nowa, Orbost and Heyfield railway stations is timber produce. Timber millers are required to consign twe-thirds of their output by rail and one-third is permitted to move by road.
(o) Transmission of Information (i) Use of Postal Facilities Only very limited data is available on the pattern of information transmission to and from and within the East Gippsland Region. Table 1.6 contains data on the level of mail movements at the o~ficial post off ices in the Region in 1975/76. In general terms the level of mail movement would appear to be related to population levels. (ii) Telephone Traffic Figure 5 contains data on the level of trunk telephone traffic within East Gippsland in 1975. The data casts considerable light on the pattern of economic and social interaction within East Gippsland. Thus in most centres in the region the highest level of trunk telephone connection is with Melbourne (most of which is presumably for business purposes). Maffra and Sale have a high level of telephone traffic between them (in both directions. ) (iii) Radio & T.V. No information is available on the use of radio and r.v. services in East Gippsland. The only information on radio listening patterns relates to those of Sale residents complied by the A.B.C. in 1974. This is repr.oduced •ifl,,Table 1. 7. (iv) Newspapers Table 1.8 contains data on the circulation of the major metropolitan dailies in the East Gippsland Region in 1976. It will be seen that the Newspaper having the highest circulation in the Region is the Sun. TABLE L4 SUMMARY DATA ON MOVEMENT OF GOODS IN CENTRAL AND EAST GIPPSLAND 1974/1975
TRAFFIC ANNUAL TONNAGE TRAFFIC FROM TO TREND ROAD RAIL
Down 189,320 857,945 Briquettes Morwell Gippsland.Melb. Morwell N.S.W. Steady 12,080 Steady 305,814 Brown Coal Yall.Nth. Maryvale Increasing 60,000 Char Coal Morwell Melb. (Export) Traralgon l,l!OO (Cement) Increasing 555., 000_ 15, 000 Pulpwood Gippsland Maryvale 70, 000 .. ;;;. ,)('<' Gippsland Rosedale Increasing IncJ.?easing 4i,~foo 150,070 Paper & Pulp Maryvale Melb. I'ste. Region's largest traffic Tip Truck Traffic - No details Available - Probably Seasonal 1,155,090 Pick up Milk Farms Factories Steady 68,040 Butter Factories Melb, I'ste. Steady 12,180 30,920 Milk Powder Factor is Melbourne and Export Steady 2,270 10,500 Casein Factories Melbourne and Export Steady 21,800 City Milk Factories Melbourne Steady 14,175 City Cream Factories Melbourne Steady 236,000 Logs Bush Sawmills Steady 85,000 35,000 Sawn Timber Sawmills Local and Melbourne Increasing 62,900 Bulk Wood Chips Sawmills Maryvale Steady 187,000 Limestone Merrimans Traralgon Creek Holding 101,000 Cement Traralgon Melb. & Gippsland Steady 133,000 Bricks, Besser Gippsland Gippsland blocks and Melbourne Steady 125,000 60,000 Superphosphate Melbourne and Gippsland Gee long Steady 90,000 1,000 Potatoes Gippsland Gippsland and Melbourne 34,500 Carrots Onions, K/W/P-Melb. Swt.Corn, Asparagus Melons Increasing 30,000 Bulk Stkfd. Melb. P'Ham. Gippsland Down 2,000 8,000 Bagged Stkfd. Melb. P'Ham. Gippsland Increasing 8,000 Bulk Grain Fd. N.S.W. Gippsland Steady 20,000 Bulk Bwrs.Grn. Melbourne Gippsland Increasing 21,500 16,000 Steel Melbourne Morwell/B/Beach 10,000 500 Fabric 'td Stl. Morwell/T'gon. Gippsland & Melb.Increasing Big increase 2,606 2,628 Barry's Beach Melbourne B/Beach & , .and · B/Beach Sale soon Increasing 2,500 L.M. Ericsson M_elbourne and Morwell Morwell Melbourne Increasing 3,000 Steady . 8,000 Bawcite Mirboo North Increasing 12,000, 1,250 Special Clay Hallora, Scoresby Heyfield Melbourne 4,780 S.A. Traralgon(Cement) Steady Gypsum 2,631 Oxide Melbourne Traralgon(Cement) Steady Iron 6,400 4,000 Scrap Metal Gippsland and Melbourne and B/Beach Gippsland
Source: Transport Regulation Board 12
TABLE 1.5 RAIL FREIGHT MOVEMENTS IN STATIONS IN THE EAST GIPPSLAND REGION, 1975/76
OtrrWARDS FREIGHT STAT IO~ INWARDS FREIGHT TONNES TONNES
Sale 2,937 25,152 Stratford 2,030 2,132 Fernbank 1,697 735 Hillside. 3 151 Bairnsdale 13 ,054 37,063 Bruthen 16,941 2,944 Nowa Nowa 69,437 1,528 Orbost 88,157 12,103 Heyf ield 1E3,023 4,814 Maffra 30,394 ' ~;1;!f1 :f
Source: Victorian Railways
TABLE 1.6 SUMMARY OF MAIL TRAFFIC AT OFFICZAL POST OFFICES IN EAST GIPPSLAND 1975/76
Official Posted Received Post Off ices en ~ en rtj en rtj en I M .µ M en M M M en r-i rtj Q) Ul rt! Q) r-i Ill M Q) s:= rtj .µ I M +' Q) ~ 2l rtj Q) 0 Ill M +' s:= Ill .µ 0 I ~ .µ M .µ Ill Q) 0 rtj Q) M ~t s:= .µ Ill Ul ..:I z ..:I Ill .µ ..:I 0 .µ Q) p.. p.. Ul Z Ul ..:I
Bairnsdale 1,394,218 226 ~·400 14,099 1,646,036 262,360 20,950 Bruthen 80,756 6,351 611 96,226 25,313 1,235 Heyfield 158,996 10,211 949 322,935 91,993 3,880 Lakes Entrance 392,808 22,815 1,515 398,950 72,790 4,615 Maffra 381,602 38,896 2,542 558,277 157,818 8,834 Omeo 35, 711 3,276 351 65,333 22,310 1,294 Orbest 285,844 .. 65, 787 2,633 522,191 141,633 5,707 RAAF Sale East 56,329 10,595 643 78,422 24,869 2,743 Sale 1,307,501 125,788 6,825 1,942,213 316,732 20,872 Stratford 70,207 6,065 481 148,344 40,056 1,502
Source: Australia Post 13
TABLE 1.7 PERCENTAGE OF SALE RESIDENTS LISTENING TO VARIOUS RADIO STATIONS (AND FREQUENCY).
No information Station Never Maybe Once or Most Days Every Twice Day· Unspecified Do not Know
21.8 0.8 3GI (ABC) 44.4 3.2 19.6 9.9 0.4 3TR 13.9 1.6 li.9 12.7 59.5 1.2 JUL - 82.9 2.8 9.9 1.6 1.6 0.4 3UZ (Melb) - - 4.0 1.2 Li 2.0 Other - - 8.3 0.8 2.4
Source: A.B.S. Radio Reality, Sale, Victoria. Country Radio Survey, 1974. The results are based on a sample of persons 15 years and over in.252 homes inSale,· selected by multi-stage probability sampling techniques.
TABLE ..1.8. SALES OF METROPOLITAN DAILY NEWSPAPERS IN EAST.GIPPSLAND 1976 (by Municipality)
Municipality Sun Herald Age
Avon 315 58 n.a. Baii:nsdale (Shire) 560 72 n.a. Bairnsdale . (Town) 2,340 667 428 Maffra 1,766 458 n~a. Omeo 360 9 n.a. Orbost 1,240 59 n.a. Sale 2,925 945 684 Tambo 1,700 300 n.a.
Source: Variqus Newspap 2. TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION ISSUES IN REGIONAL PLANNING The purpose of Chapter 2 is to identify and discuss some of the principal policy issues involved in the future planning and provision of transport and conununication services and facilities in East Gippsland, having regard to the strategic planning options which appear to be avail able in the Region. Chapter 2 is divided into three parts: (i) Section 2.1 reviews recent trends in the use of transport and conununication facilities in the region, and provided a broad assessment of the likelihood that these trends will continue in the future; (ii) Section 2.2 outlines decisions taken in recent years relating to the provision and management of transport and communication services and facilities in the Region, and attempts to assess the implications of those decisions for the future; and (iii) Section 2.3 draws on the analysis in Sections 2.1 to identify and discuss the major policy issues which appear to be involved in the future planning and management of transport facilities and services in the Region. 2.1 Trends in Use The principal features of recent trends in the use of transport and conununication services and facilities in East Gippsland may be summarised as follows: (i) The r'ole of motor vehicles in both the movement of . people and goods has continued to grow in the Region; (ii) After a long period of decline, rail passenger traffic from stations in East Gippsland has increased rather dramatically in recent years; freight movements by rail, however have generally continued to decline; (iii) Thei::e has been considerably instability in the level of air passenger movements to and from the Region. The details of these. trends and the factors underlying them are discussed below. (a) Use of Roads Road use in East Gippsland has shown a steadyincrease in the 1970's as may be seen from the data in Table 2.1. O~ most roads in the Region the growth in traffic between 1972 and 1976 was greater than the growth in the level of road traffic in non-metropolitan Victoria as a whole during that period '(12.3% - based on movement in Victorian Rural Road Traffic Index (as calculated by C.R.B.) from 240.0 in 1972 to 269.6 in 1976.) (Table 2.1 in fact reveals considerable fluctuations in the level of traffic on many roads from year to year. Nonetheless the general trend is upwards.) It would appear that most of the growth in road use in East Gippsland between 1972 and 1976 can be attributed to an increase in the number of cars, utilities and vans, rather than in increased use by trucks and buses (see Table 2.2). This suggests increasing passenger move ments by road in the region. On many ro'ads the level of movements by trucks and buses appears to have remained relatively unchanged. TABLE 2.1 TRAFFIC ON ROADS IN EAST GIPPSLAND 1972/1976 ROAD 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 Index 1976/1972 Princes Hi2hway East of Rosedale/Maf fra Rd. (193.3)• 1, 736 1,889 1,985 2,100 2,279 131.3 East of Lindenow,Meerlieu Rd.(261. 5) 1,334 1,537 1,596 1,755 2,064 154.7 Ea!')t of Omeo Highway (283.1) 2,107 2,484 n.a. 2,789 3,081 146.2 East of Metung Rd. (302.6) 1,676 1,731 2,047 1,853 2,135 127.3 Northeast of Nowa-Nowa (340.3) 875 949 1,061 983 1,213 138.6 East of orbost (377 .1) n.a. n.a. 1,172 1,054 1,379 n.a. East of Cann Valley Hwy. (450.3) 528 577 702 708 654 123.9 Other Roads 270.7 I-' Maf f ra/Strafford Rd. 615 804 645 1,396 1,665 U1 Maffra/Sale Rd. .. 1,475 1,669 1,883 2,422 2,662 180.4 Traralgon/Maf fra Rd. 1,614 l,807 1,714 1,113 2,381 147.5 \ Benambra Rd. 176 153 134 123 238 135.2 Metung Rd. 507 507 547 549 562 110.8 Bruthen/Buchan Rd. 310 346 315 321 353 113.9 Mallacoota.. Rd • 314 281 288 371 386 122.9 .. ·.Source: Co~try Roads Board, Annual Traffic Censuses. The data relate to the number of vehicle passing the specified point in a 24 hour period in March of each year. * Distance from Melbourne G.P.O. in kilometres shown in brackets. .~ TABLE 2.2 COMPOSITION OF TRAFFIC ON ROADS IN EAST GIPPSLAND 1972,1976 ROAD ' CARS, UTILITIES & VANS TRUCKS, BUSES & OTHER - T 0 T A L 197~ 1976 Change 1972 1976 Change 1972 1976 Chang~ % % % Princes Highwa;t East of Rosedale /Maffra Rd. (193.3)* 1466 1989 35.7 270 290 7.4 1736 2279 31.3 East of Omeo Highway (283.1)* 1920 2828 47.2 187 253 35.2 2107 3081 46.2 East of Metung Rd. (302.6)* 1497 1957 30.7 179 178 -0.6 1676 2135 27.3 North East of No\l{a Nowa (340.3)* 739 1079 46.0 136 134 -1.5 875 1213. 38.6 Other Roads Maff ra/Stratford Rd. 529 1566 19G.O 86 99 15.1 615 1665 170.7 Maffra/Sale Rd. 1341 2519 87.8 134 143 6.7 1475 2662 80.4 Traralgon/ Maffra Rd. 1421 2519 77 .2 203 146 -29.l 1614 2381 47.5 Metung Rd. 428 543 26.9 79 19 -75.9 507 562 10.8 I Source: Country Roads Board, Annual Traffic Censuses. The data relate to the number of veliicles passing the specified point in a 24 hour period in March of each year. · * Distance from Melbourne G.P.O. in kilometres shown in brackets. 17 Some proportion of the growth in passenger vehicle traffic by r.oad in East Gippsland can be attributed to the growth which has occurred ·in the number of tourists to the region. Because the Country Roads Board annual traffic census is taken in March, the influence of tourism on the growth of traffic in the region cannot radily be identified. Nonethless, in recent years some measurements have been taken of the level of traffic flow at various points in the Region during the Christmas/New Year holiday period. The available data,_ is summarised in Table 2.3. Once again, although there are considerable year to year· fluctuations in the level of traffic, it would appear that the trend is generally upwards. (b} Rail Traffic _One of the major lon9-term changes which has taken · place in the pattern of transport use in Victoria over the longer term has been the decline in the role of rail transport in moving both passengers and goods, in response to increasing competition from road transport. Thus, between 1935 and 1970, ' . for example, the number of outward rail passenger journeys declined relative to population at most centres in non-metropolitan Victoria (See Table 2.4). (It is interesting note that the decline in Sale was less marked than in most other centres shown except Geelong}. More recently, however, as may be seen from Table 2.5, the growth in passenger journeys from many stations in East Gippsland has outstripped the growth of population. Whether or not this is a sign of permanently increased use of the Railways by travellers to and from East Gippsland (e.g. vis a vis travel by car} remains to be seen. The level of freight movements by rail in the Region, on the other hand, has generally continued to fall (see Table 2.6). (The exception to this general rule is at Maf fra where both inwards and outwards freight increased between 1970/71and1975/76). The reasons for the decline in the role of the rail ' ways vis a vis road transport in the .movement of both passengers and goods have been thoroughly analysed -in the Report of the Board of Inquiry into the Victorian. Land Transport System 1971/72 (Bland Report) It is sufficient to note their simple conclusion that "to the user, the costs of road'transport were less than th.ose of rail, sometimes decidedly so." 1. (c} Other Transport and Communication Services. Only very ~imited data is available on trends in use of other transport and communication services and faci lities in East Gippsland. Table 2.7 summarises availa- .. ble data on changes in the level of mail traffic in the Region since 19~0.71. The most notable features of Table 2.7 is undoubtedly the dramatic fall off in the level of postines of most articles in the Region follow ing the introduction of higher postal charges by the Commonwealth Government in 1974. 1. Report of th~ Board of Inquiry into the Victorian Land Transport System, (Bland Report) 1972, p.14. ------~ 18 The exception to this is in the non-standard letter category. : The reasons for the near trebling in the level of poastings of these articles in the Region between 1973/74 and 1975/76 are unknown (and contrasts to example with the trends in postings of these articles in the adjacent Central Gippsland Region where the increase was only 6.5% between 1973/74 and 1975.76. Air services to a from East Gippsland have had a chequered history. Thus an airline service operated to Bairnsdale between 1962 and 1966, during which time more than 8,000 passengers were carried. Two commuter services, one operating to Bairnsdale and the other to Sale, Bairnsdale and Mallacoota were discontinued in 1970 after operat:i,ng for thr~e years and one year respectively. In 1972 the region was served by one service operating between Melbourne and Sale. On this route, 12 services were provided each week and 1,777 passengers travelled on this route during 1971/72. The average number of passengers carried per flight was 3.4. No freight was carried. More recently, a regular service was established between Melbourne, Sale and Bairnsdale, operating at first on three days a week and extended late in 1976 to provide flights from Sale via Bairnsdale and Latrobe Valley to Melbourne and return, twice a day, five days a week. However, this service also ceased operating in May 1977. TABLE 2.3 SELECTED DATA RELATING TO ROAD TRAFFIC IN EAST GIPPSLAND DURING CHRISTMAS/NEW YEAR HOLIDAY PERIOD ·1972/73 1973/74 1974/75 1975/76 1976/77 Total Traffic 21 Dec./5 Jan. n.a. 91,250 80,476 n.a. 96,409 Peak Daily Traffic Flow 6,496 5,826 7,280 n.a. 7,537 Note: (a) Counter faulty during 1975/76 period. (b) Relates to period 21st December/8th January. Source: Country Roads Board. Data relates to total traffic flow in period shown on Princes Highway between Broadland Crossing and Nicholson, 289.6 kilometres east of Melbourne. 19 TABLE 2.4 PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN POPULATION AND OUTWARD RAIL PASSENGER JOURNEYS SELECTED URBAN CENTRES OF VICTORIA 1935-1970 Town Percentac e Movement in: Population Outward Passenger Journeys Geelong _(45 miles) ** 152.9 +212.07 Warragul (61J..s miles) 150~0 +61.49 Seymour (61J..s miles) 105.94 -0.38 Ballarat (73-3/4 miles) 15.07 -45.53 Traralgon (97~ miles) 530.43 +117 .27 Bendigo (100-3/4 miles) 18.41 -49.53 Shepparton (118 miles) 189.23 +3.36 Benalla (121J..s miles) 122.50 -16.17 Sale (127-3/4 miles) 149.94 +116. 77 Ararat (131 miles) 70.97 -26.31 Echuca (145 miles via Seymour) 69.60 -67.91 Wangaratta (145~ miles) 229.57 +37.58 Warrnambool (166 miles) 110.35 -68.25 * Bairnsdale (171 miles via Sale) 107.50 +24.73 Wodonga (187 miles) 279.31. . +41. 97 Horsham (2031..s miles) 108.68 +3.52 Swan Hill (214~ miles) 100.00 -2.15 Mildura (355!ii miles via Ballaratf 90.00 +14.19 * Influenced by withdrawal of commuter service between Warrnambool and Dennington. ** Distance from Melbourne. Source: Report of the Board of Inquiry into the Victorian Land Transport System (Government Printer, Melbourne, 1972), p. 33. TABLE 2.5 CHANGES IN OUTWARD PASSENGER JOURNEYS AND POPULATION AT RAILWAY STATIONS IN EAST GIPPSLAND 1970/71 - 1975/76 STATION No. of Outward Passenger Population Journeys 1970/71 1975/76 % Change 1971 1976 ., Change Sale 15,726. ·26,874 70.8 \ 10,436 12,106 +16.0 Stratford 1,045 1,484 42.0 881 828 -6.0 Bairnsdale 12,570 23,291 85.2 8,552 9,131 +6.8 Orbost 4 1,119 n.a. 2,933 2,789 -4.9 Heyfield 3,347 5,066 66.1 1,830 1,699 -7.2 Maf fra 3,839 4,373 13.9 3,666 3,836 +4.6 Source: Victorian Railways. TABLE 2.6 FREIGHT MOVEMENTS TO AND FROM RAILWAY STATIONS IN EAST GIPPSLAND · 1970/71, 1973/74, 1975/76 (Tonnes) STATION Inwards Freight outwards Freight ... 1970/71 1973/74 1975/76 1970/71 1973/74 ·1975/76 Sale 2,738 3,399 2,937 37,253 46,493 25,152 Stratford 9,247 2,568 2;030 3,701 3,383 2,132 Fernbank 9,421 2,057 1,697 1,961 2,308 735 Hillside 22 - 3 583 1,171 . 151 Bairnsdale 31,070 11, 741 13,054 40,436 40,081 37,063 Bruthen 18,481 . 19,197 16,941 5,035 7,735 . 2 ,944 Nowa Nowa 46,140 66,818 69,437 3,300 3,915 . 1,528 . , Orbost 93,488 96,850 88,157 14,756 14,389 12,103 l'IJ. 1;1eyfield 18,722 20,212 18,023 8,661 9,084. 4,814 0 Maffra· 14,816 . 17 ,942. 30,394 18,960 18,939 27,247 Source: Victorian Railways .....______------TABLE 2.7 SELECTED STATISTICS.RELATING TO MIL.TRAFFIC IN· EAST GIPPSLAND REGibN . . .· 1970/71, 1973/74, ·1975/76 % Change % Change .. 1970/71 1973/74 1970/71-1973/74 1975/76 . 1973/74-1975/76 .. POSTED Standard Letters 5,662,978 5,339,551 -5.7 4,163,972 -22.0 Non-Standard Letters 270,236 179,006 -33.8 516,192 +188.4 Parcels 43,371 34,068 -21.4 30,649 -10.0 RECEIVED. Standard Letters 6,216,271 6.,326,472 +l.8 5,778,927 -8.7 Non-Standard Letters 1,309,834 1,876,150 +43.2 1~155,874 . -38.4 .. Source: Australia Post. 2.2 Recent Transport Planning and Management Decisions In recent years Governments havemade a number of decisions which are likely to have a significant impact on the future character and availability of transport facilities and services in the East Gippsland Region, as elsewhere in Victoria. The most important of ~hese decisions are reviewed below: (a) Rail Transport Guiding principles for the future development of the rail transport system in East Gippsland as elsewhere in Victoria were laid down in the Bland Report following a comprehensive investigation into the whole Victorian land transport system. The general objective of the Bland Report's recommendations was the "achievement of - a land tr.ansport system that most efficiently meets Victoria's requirements." This was seen as being depen~ent on: "A radical restructuring of the existing railway network and services, on re-organisation of the Railways corporate structure, and on the Railways being given a charter by the GOvernment which defines the role they are to perform, what the State and Victorians expect of them and what the .State will do to enable them to discharge that role."1. To this end the Report developed·a series of recommend ations, the most important of which were: (i) The development of a hierarchy of railway lines in the State comprising main lines (128 km/hr passenger services, 90 km/hr freight services) and secondary lines (112.km/hr passenger services, 80 km/hr freight services); (ii) The development of a series of regional freight centres throughout the State to enable the Railways to compete more effectively in the transport of freight; and (iii) The closure of certain uneconomic sections of lines throughout the State and the termination of passenger services on other lines (subject to the making of alternative arrangements for bµs transport) . The only service in East Gippsland so far affected by these proposals is the passenger services between Traralgon and Maffra. On 16th September,·1976 the Mini ster for Transport announced that this service would cease as soon as alternative road passenger services under Government contract cari be arranged. The Victorian Railways have indicated that they propose the development of three regional freight centres in Central and East Gippsland. The exact locations of these freight centres are yet to be determined. (b) Road Transport Decision relating to the improvement of road transport facilities and services in East Gippsland in recent years have been of two kinds; viz; (i) decisions to upgrade existing roads; and (ii) decisions relating to the re The major programme of road upgrading in East Gippsland has been the progressive programme of works .on the Prince Highway East. Works completed on.this highway within East Gippsland since 1971/72 are listed in Table 2.8. These works are of course additional to the even larger programme of works undertaken on the Princes Highway East in the Central Gippsland and Metropolitan Regions, which have reduced travel times between East Gippsland and those parts of the State. Other highways in East Gippsland (e.g. the Cann Valley, Oineo, and Bonang Highways), have also been the subject of significant upgrading programmes in that time. The C.R.B. has formulated a comprehensive programme · for the future upgrading of the Princes Highway East as shown in Table 2.9. While most of those works are · located o~tside East Gippsland, once again they will play a major role in enhancing access between East Gippsland and other parts of the State. The second major policy decision affecting road transport services taken in recent years relates to the financial assistance afforded to private bus operators. Details of this programme, as set out in the Transport Regulation Board's Annual Report for 1975/76 are as follows: ( i). · Passenger ~a:r;e · ·'Subsidy The f'irst part of the financial aid progranune is the subsidisation of passengers' fares. A sununary of the scheme is: the scheme was introduced on 1st October 1974; the subsidy is paid quarterly in advance, based on estimates of increased costs and paid to the operator on the basis of passenger carried; the scheme is reviewed -at 6 monthly intervals; and upon any application by the Industry for increase in fares; beoause of the wide differences in country OPE!rations, assistance was initially paid to operators of country (as distinct from urban) route services on the basis of a subsidy up to 10 percent ·of regular route passenger fare revenue. This percentage was reviewed and increased to 16 percent, as from 1st July, 1975. The subsidy for metropolitan and urban operations is based on estimates of increases in operating costs assessed from the standard cost index used by the Board when determining applications for increased fares. At the end of each financial year, the Board's estimates are checked against actual results and adjustments made accordingly. -- 24 In case of operators of marginal services, profit level has been built up to a minimum of 3 percent, of turnover, and such services have carried on under the subsidy scheme on the basis up to the present. (:ii) Low Interest Loans for Vehicle Purchase The second major part of the financial aid programme is the concessional loan scheme for ve~icle purchase. The procedure adopted to administer the loan scheme is set out below. In 1974/75, loans of up to $20,000 per vehicle or 90 percent, of the vehicle purchase price, whichever was the lesser amount, w~r;e granted for ,the purchase of new buses. Loans were made re gardless of the type of vehicle, but iuxury vehicles were not financed. For 1975/76, the amounts available wer..e increased to $24,000 and $30,000 for light and heavy duty vehicles respectively. Interest on loans is charged at the concessional rate of 3 per~ent per annum at quarterly rests. Loans to be repaid over a period of up to 10 . years by monthly instalments, or at the time of disposal of the vehicle, if this .should occur before the loan has been full}' repaid. A lien on the vehicle is not required, but the operator has to formally acknowledge the liability. All. op~rators are eligible to apply for loans for vehicles to be licensed as regular route service vehicles. The available funds are channelled so that vehicle standards are maintained for all services, and the Board is supported in its efforts to improve vehicle standards. The scheme is designed to fo~ter the purchase of new vehicles but, in special circumstances, operators can request assistance to by good secondhand vehicles. Loans are also available for the purchase of approved types of new ticket machines. These·1oans are repay able by monthly instalments over 5 years at 3 percent interest. It would appear that theavailability of this financ ial assistance together with contracts available from the Education Department (for the transport of school cliildrenLand Australia Post (for the movement of mail) has play~d .~:key role in main.taining the· viability of privat~ bus operations·in East Gippsland - as through- out country Victoria. . 25 lcl Other TranspOrt and Communication Services several other Government agencies have also implemented progra~es and/or taken policy decisions, which will improve the availability of transport and communication services in East Gippsland. Thus the opening ot 3MT Omeo in 1976, the development of a regional mail processing centre at Morwell by Australia Post and the progressive planned extension of automatic telephone . exchanges throughout the Region by Telecom are all designed to improve those particular services in the Region. TABLE 2.8 MAJOR WORKS COMPLETED ON PRINCES HIGHWAY EAST IN EAST GIPPSLAND, 1971/72 TO 1975/76 1971/72 Reconstruction and widening of 2.9 miles between Lindenow South and Bai~nsdale to provide a sealed pavement 24 feet wide. Flood damage repairs to the bridge over the Snowy River at Orbost and its approaches. Reconstruction and widening of 1.5 mile east of the Nicholson River. 1972/73 Reconstruction of 1.7 miles.east of ·wingan Creek to provide sealed pavement 24 feet wide. Reconstruction and widening of 0.8 mile near Flynn, to provide a sealed pavement 24 feet wide. Rec9nstruction of 1.0 mile ~ast of Nicholson River to provide a s~aled pavement 24 feet wide. 1973/74 Reconstruction of 1.7 miles west of Wingan River to provide a sealed pavement 24 feet wide~ . . ·. ' Reconstruction of 1.9.miles east of Murrungowar to provide a sealed pavement 24 feet wide. Improvement of the intersection of Lake Tyers Beach Road. 1974/75 Widening of the bridge over the Nicholson River east of Bairnsdale by 1.8 m and replacement of a timber approach span with a steel and concrete span. 1975/76 Construction of new bridge 121 m.·long and 9.8 m. wide over the Cann River together with necessary approaches and stream protection works. Reconstruction of 2.1 km. near Johnsonville to provide a sealed pavement 7.4m. wide. Source: Country Roads Board, Annual Reports. 26 TABLE 2.9 COUNTRY ROADS BOARD PROGRAMME FOR UPGRADING .PRINCES H:t.GHWAY EAST .,:. 1978 .,.. 1982 Major improvements which it is proposed to complete or commence during the next five years, based on expected levels of finance, are as foilows: Provide six lanes Tooronga Road to Waverley Road, Caulfield. Commence by-pass of Berwick. Duplication from Beaconsfield to Army Road, Pakenham. Construct climbing lanes where warranted between Pakenham and Moe. Construct the by-pass of Drouin. Commence the by-pass of Warragul. Duplication t:l:l.tough Trafalgar Township . ..: Complete the by-pass of Moe by constructing the. duplicate carriageway. Complete the duplication Morwell to Traralgon~ Improvements at and in the vicinity of Broadlands level crossing, east of Bairnsdale. Construct new bridge and approaches at Simpsons Creek near Orbost. Complete the construction of the Snow}r River bridges and approaches at Orbost. Reconstruction of sections of the highway east of Orbost at Bellbird~ Reedbed Creek and Rankins to east of Wingan River. • I ~ Commence construction of Genoa River Bridge and approaches. Source: Statement to Gippsland Transport Region Consultative Committee, 21st June, 1977. FIGURE 6: OMEO HIGHWAY PROPOSALS FOR RE-ROUTING. MITTA MITTA TALLANGATTA '. ' : '~ ...... :i:'.er>'~ . • . :i:1:E: • ~= I •: ROUTE 1 ---- SHIRE OMEO ~ ROUTE 2 . ----· ROUTE 3 ...... ROUTE 4 •••••••••••• 0 2 4 6 8 10 Km 27 - 2.3 Planning Policy Issues Section 2.3 is desi (al The Upgrading of Highways ti) The Princes Highway In terms of total traffic flow, the principal road in East Gippsland is undoubtedly the Princes Highway and the maintenance and upgrading of that highway is vital to the future of East Gippsland.Considerable pressure has been exerted in recent years by municipalities in East Gippsland, acting in co-operation with municipal ities in the adjacent Central Gippsland Region, to have the Princes Highway East declared a national highway and to have a greater allocation of ~unds devoted to its upgrading. Much of the argument in favour of the upgrading of the Princes Highway has been Qased on the need to cater for the growth in traffic generated by prospective industrial and ·resource developments in Central Gippsland·. None theless. considerable·benefits would also be gener ated in East Gippsland from the upgrading of that highway particularly in terms of the increased ease of access which such an upgraded highway would provide between Melbourne and East Gippsland, thus facilitiating the development of the tourist industry in East Gippsland. (ii) The Omeo Highway At the sam~ time as the case for the upgrading of the Princes Highway has been advanced (as outlined above), many municipalities have been advocating the re-routing of the Omeo Highway to provide an all weather route between East Gippsland and the North East of the State. Because this proposal has substantial implications for the future of the region and for the deployment of resources on an . intra-regional and inter-regional scale, it warrants full: examination. Th~ existing Omeo Highway passes through Bruthen, Ensay, Swifts Creek and Omeo before traversing the alps via a narrow and twisting 114 km road, 16 km of which is above the snowline, which links East Gippsland with the North-East region. The proposed upgrading of the road involves the re-routing of approximately 65 km of the existing road at a cost of $20.0 million (1977 estimate). The existing and proposed routes are illustrated on Figure 6. 28 The Country R?ads Board have consistently opposed the proposal and maintained that, as an alternative,. the existing route ouqht to be upgraded by stages over a number of years as and when funds become available. The Premier (Mr. Hamer) has indicated that the decision on the alignment which the upgraded route will follow will be made by Cabinet. The following paragraphs sununarise the respective arguments of the proponents and opponents of the upgraded highway. The arguments advanced by the supporters of the scheme .include: (i) the .road should be viewed as a special develop mental project related to the development of the Albury/Wodonga growth centre. Such a road would a:id that centre by offering a greater. commercial catchment for .the.twin city and· opening up access to the coastal recreational resort~ of Gippsland, for its expanding population. Thus such a road would increase the attractiveness of Albury/Wodonga for would be residents; (ii) an all-weather route will aid decentralisation not only to Albury/Wodonga but also the eastern half of Victoria, principally East Gippsland which presently has· the smallest population of any region in the State. Growth in the north-east will.stimulate trade in timber, fish, beef, fresh vegetables and minerals given that access is of a sufficiently high standard. This may give impetus to the establishment of a sea port on the Gippsland Coast; (iii) failure to develop.the low level road will impede the development of tourism in East Gippsland. The 'existing route is alleged to be so unattractive . to tourists that they are encouraged to look else where to indulge their recreation pursuits. Twenty nine kilometres of the road is above the snowline and subject to icing over, or extremely hazardous ' situations. The new road would not qnly provide an opportunity for increased use of East Gippsland tourist resources (the Lakes and forests), but additionally provide access to the Dartmouth Dam which lies directly on the route; (iv) Advantages to local residents of East Gippsland would include better ac·cess to commercial markets, . both f,or consumers and sellers - primary producers presently pay a levy on stock transported.across the alps. . (Transport operators will not use the existing Omeo Highway and use the Alpine Road over Mt. Hotham.); and {v) Finally from the point of view of costs, the new road would involve no greater cost than would complete upgrading of the existing road and would be a far greater standard - only 0.5 km above the snowline. Although the existing road would still have to be maintained, its status could be reduced to that of a Main Road, thus removing some of the Country Roads Board's financial responsibilities in this respect. · 29 The Country Roads Board (C.R.B.) as ~he public authority responsible for construction of Omeo Highway takes a different view. It has assessed the p~oposed new route along with three other options (See Figure 6), including the upgrading of' the existing route, (which is supported by the C.R.B.), and carried out a route survey which has demonstrated that the low level alignment is a "practicable' one. ·The C.R. B. bases its opposition to the ' low level ' route in the following arguments: 1 (i) The existing route can be improved by stages giving immediate return to the motoring public on the public investment, whereas the construction of a new road would involve a substantial commitment of funds over a nUinber of years during which time no benefit would accrue to the publ~c. Such a situat ion cannot be justified having regard to the priority, of this area in relation to overall road needs in Victoria; (ii) Even if the alternative route were developed, the existing route would have to be maintained;. (iii) Improvement of the existing route would have the while the altern- least effect on. the environment . ative route through virgin bush country could have severely detrimental effects; (iv) Snow clearing on the existing route is not a serious problem and the equipment is readily available for the 26 kilometres above the snow line; (v) Most, if not all, of the advantages put forward in support of the new route would be provided by the development of the existing Omeo Highway. It is immediately apparent therefore that no-one disputes the unsatisfactory condition of the existing road. Neither is the argument about how much will have to be spent to upgrade the access between the two regions - both alternatives would involve expenditure in the vicinity of $20.0 million (1977 figures), if they were to be fully realised. What the argument comes down to then is a dispute as to the most effective use of money, and the priority to be afforded to the project. (b) Determination of Priorities It is important that assessment of the priority to be accorded to the Omeo road project be undertaken in as wide a perspective as possible. As well as the upgrading of the Omeo Highway, there are numerous other proposals and programmes for the upgrading of highways and roads (including the Princes Highway) which will clearly have important implications for the-future of the Region. All of the programmes however require the commitment of funds which, as most functional authorities are quick to point out, are unlikely to be sufficient to enable all programmes to be completed, particularly in the short term. It is necessary therefore to give consideration to the matter of priorities between competing claims for funds. 30 The question ·which needs to be asked, however, is whether o·r not given the likelihood that the overall level of funds available for road construction will be less than that needed to undertake even the upgrading of the Princes Highway East, all available funds should for the present be allocated to that Highway rather than spread around a number of projects, none of which is satisfactorily completed on a timely basis. It is, noted that the Gippsland Transport Region Consultative Committee, appointed in 1975 to fldvise.the Minister for transport on the improvement of transport facilities and services witnin that region recently reiterated its view that the Princes Highway East should be accorded top priority in programmes to upgrade roads in Central and East Gippsland Regions. (c) The Rural Road Network Sections 1.2 and 1.3 above drew attention to the exten-· sive network of unsealed rural roads which exist throughout the Region and to the important role which these rural roads play in the economic and social life of the Region, particular in those areas whic~ are remote from the main centres of settlement. The construc tion and maintenance of most of these rural roads are the responsibility of municipalities. As may be seen from Tables 2.10 and 2.11, many of the municipalities in East Gippsland expend large proportions of their annual loan and general revenue expenditure on roads and streets • .. In recent years, the capacity·of municipalities to construqt and maintain soch rural roads has been adverse ly affected in two ways, viz; (i) on the one hand,. the co.st of such construction and maintenance has escalated rapidly, and often at a· greater rate that the overall rate of inflation; (ii) the capacity of many municipalities to make such expenditures, has been further squeezed by the decline in their capacity to raise rate revenue. It would appear somewhat unlikely that the capac·ity of municipalities to engage in extensive upgrading of rural roads will be greatly increased in the immediate future, either through a greater allocation of funds from Commonwealth and/or State sources or from increased revenue raising by municipalities. Available 'funds therefore will probably continue to fail to keep pace with the escalating cost of road construct ion. One response to this situation is to suggest a greater allocation of funds for their specific purpos~. Whilst in many cases the need of such funds can be read ily established, similar needs exist elsewhere in the State. There may be a need therefore to give greater attention to the determination of an order of priority for the upgrading of such roads so that available funds can be used to maximum effect. (Data is currently being sought from the Commonwealth bureau of Roads on the rural road improvement projects in the Central Gippsland Region, which the Bureau in its 1975 Report assessed as being "economically warranted based on cost benefit analysis.) . TABLE 2.10 PERCENT~GE 6F'TOTAL REVENUE EXPENDITURE DEVOTED TO ...ROADS AND STREETS-:----· BY MUNICIPALITIES IN EAST GIPPSLAND 1967/68 TO 1973/74 MUNICIPALITY 1967/68 1968/69 1969/70 1970/71 1971/72 1972/73 1973/74 Avon 80.9 70.6 71.3 67.5 63.5 61.1 66.8 Bairnsdale (Town) 36.5 37.5 34.2 38~0 38.5 37.0 35.7 Bairnsdale (Shire) 56.4 47.4 52.2 48.0 53.3 50.l 49.3 -· Maffra 57.8 52.3 48.0 49.9 49.8 40.0 35.9 ·- -· Omeo 68.o 64.5 66.8 64.5 65.9 63.8 . 65. 5 Orbost 58.2 54.9 54.1 56.2 53.8 54.8 52.4 Sale 41.4 34.3 46.7 38.8 24.2 18.5 . 18. 6 Tambe 78.5 65.6 59.6 60.4 51.9 47.4 49.6 w J ...... Source: Australian Municipal Information System TABLR 2.ll PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL EXPENDITURE. DEVOTED TO.ROADS AND STREETS BY MUNICIPALITIES IN ·EAST GIPPSLAND 1967/68 TO 1973/74 MUNICIPALITY 1967/68 1968/69 1969/70 1970/71 1971/72 1972/73 . 1973/74 Avon 0.0 e.o 60.9 100.0 100.0 37.0 100.0 Bairnsdale (Town) a.a 22.9 a.a so.a 71.8 32.8 41.2 Bairnsdale (Shire} 85.9 45.5 20.0 74.7 79.2 0.0 . 64.1 ' Maf f ra 76.5 42.9 59.2 66.7 'b.o a.a 28.0 - I Omeo 100.0 100.0 o.o -o.o o.o o.o 0.0 Orbost 40,9 24.6 55.7 28.3 ·s6.l 31.3 13.8 Sale 14.3 o.o o.o o.o 30. .;l 54.8 31. 7 Tambo 98.l 77.0 100.0 . 100.0 o.o 43.6 42.9 ·i I Source: Australian Municipal Information System \ ::· - 33 . In determining priorities for the allocation of funds as between rural roads, it is important that account be taken of the social as well as the economic functions performed by those roads. In the remote parts of the region in particular rural roads are vital in enabling residents to gain access to schooling (particularly through bus travel) and health and social facilities. (d) The Relationship between.~ourism and Transport Require ·ments An earlier working paper (No.3) has established the vital importance to the econoky of East Gippsland of tourist activity. In relation to the provision of transport facilities, two particular characteristics of tourist activities in East Gippsland should be noted: viz; (i) the fact that moat visitors to the region currently· travel by car (the extent to which they might continue to do so in the long term future in the light of possible higher petrol prices is open to· debate); (ii) the marked seasonal pattern of tourist activity in the Region. The first of these characteristics has particular impli cations for the future pattern of road development in the Region, given that much o~ the tourist (and local recreation)activity in the region is focussed on tt,.e coast, and coastal roads play a significant role in the overall pattern of communication. Apart from the Princes Highway, which is in ·a broad sense a coastal road, roads of this type in East Gippsland generally run perpendicular to the coastline, linking single settlements with the Princes Highway and the major towns. The fundamental importance of these roads lies in the extent to which they restrict or facilitate access to the coastal townships and the surrounding environment. Consequently, progranunes designed to upgrade the level of access afforded by these roads will have implications for the entire strategy relating to land use in the coastal belt of East Gippsland and should therefore be closely integrated with land use planning activity in that area. The use of these roads by tourists also has significant implications for the funding of roads by municipalities in the Region. A large proportion of their use is attri butable traffic which originates outside the municipality and usually outside the region, in which its effects are felt. In a situation such as this, considerations of equity, are clearly significant in that residents of the Region may be required to pay for higher standards of road largely for the convenience of visitors. The C.R.B. already makes grants to municipalities to offset the costs of the external impositions placed on the local road making ·authorities by visitors, industrial or other traffic originating largely from outside the Region. Whether this issue of equity in the provision of funds to account for external costs in road maintenance and con struction is adequately resolved in East Gippsland is a matter for debate. Certainly the costs of roadworks are becoming an increasingly significant burden for many muni cipalities in the face of dwindling allocations in real terms from the Country Roads Board. 34 It is clear also that the role of many roads in the Region as tourist roads needs to be considered in determining priorities for funds allocation. Without a clearly defined order of priority for the allocation of funds to different road projects it is difficult to assess.whether the burden of construction of such roads is being met in an equitable manner. Thereis a~ evident need for the identification of a hierarchy of roads within the Region which would allow th~ benefits to the population of alternative projects to be readily assessed in terms of their overall costs and benefits and the distribution of those costs and benefits. The seasonal pattern of Tourist Activity in the East Gippsland Region has been extensively documented in an earlier Working Paper (No.3). The implications of · this seasonal pattern for the provision of transport services and facilities are readily illustrated by comparing the data on motor vehicle traffic on roads in the Region shown in Tables 2.1 and 2.3 above. Table 2.1 shows that in the 'off season' for tourists, few roads in the Region carry more than 2,000 vehicles per day. Yet the peak daily traffic flow on roads in some patts of East Gippsland in the Christmas/New Year Holiday period exceeds 7,000 vehicles per day. It is clear that this seasonal variation in the level of traffic flow has important implications for both the design and maitenance of.certain key parts of the Region's road network. (e) The cost of Air Travel As indicated in Section 2.1 above air services to the region appear to be characteristically unstable in terms of their viability. Over a considerable period of time any number of operators have corranenced opera tions in the context of general assurances of community support, only to find them financially unviable and thus being forced to curtail and eventually to cease operations. Yet this instability belies the apparently attractive prospects for commercial flying companies to operate in the area. With several reasonably sized centres of population both in the region and en-route, many companies believe that they ought to be able to run a financially successful. business there. Aside from the quality of the service (facilities, access ibility, regularity, frequency and time saving) the main 'factors likely to influence passenger patrongage are the cost of the service and the general willingness .of the community to support it. Some data on the relative cost of air travel to and from East Gippsland vis a· vis other modes of transport is contained in Table 2.12. 35 TABLE 2.12 .COMPARISON OF COSTS OF i'RAVEL BETWEEN EAST GIPPSLAND AND MELBOURNE Departure Point Distance Air Fares Return Train.Fares Car Expenses Single Return Economy lstClass Operat~ True** Costs Cost Bairnsdale 310 km. :$25 $50 $15.10 $18.95 $26.66 $117.18 Sale ·240 km. .$20 $40 $12.30 $15.40 $20.64 $90.72 Latrobe Valley ' 180 km. $15 $30 $ 8.60 $10.80 $15.50 $68.04 * R.A.C.V. 1977 Figure 2 year old Kingswood including overheads. ** R.A.c.v. 1977 Figure 2 year old Kingswood. On this b~sic comparison of costs to the traveller the attractiveness of car travel is apparent, in that the overheads of ·car ownership will still have to.be met regardless of th~ distance travelled. Also the car provides the traveller with flexibility en route and will no doubt be required at either end of the train or air journeys in any case. If a car is not used, additional expenses will then be incurred in travelling to and from the points of embarkation .and disembarkation. At roughly the same cost for a return jounrey by car as a one way air fare, and with the possibility of carrying two· or three passengers per vehicle, Table 2.12 suggests that the car is clearly a financially superior mode of transport for travel between East Gippsland and Me~bourne. However, the dollar cost of transport is not the only consideration and should perhaps not even be the most significant one. When paid employees of businesses or government are travelling the cost of their time must be accounted for, as well as their fares, as must the risk factor involved in the alternative means of travel. On.this latter point the car is clearly the most unsafe of t~e three modes available, and organisations who require their employees to make frequent trips to the region ought to give consideration to air travel on this basis alone. As for the time question, it must be recognised that no direct comparison of the amounts of money involved can completely explain the situation since time lost in travel is time that must be made up at a later date. This adds an inestimable cost to time-wasting methods of travel. If we compare the cost of air t~avel with motor car travel, and taking travelling times as two hours and four hours for air and car travel, respectively (Melbourne to Bairnsdale - door to door), it is apparent that on a return trip, the car would take twice as long as would aeroplane· travel. Taking an example of, say, three government officers earning $15,000, $13,000 and $12,000 p.a. respectively, the time travelling costs ~ for a trip between Melbourne and Bairnsdale would be computed as follows: 36 MODE TIME TAKEN COST OF OOST TOTAL OFFICERS' OF COST TIME TRAVEL Car 8 hours lost $187, 1.2 $ 26.66 $213.78 $150. oo· Aeroplane 4 hours lost- $93 56 $243.56 While car travel still involves the least financial cost, being approximately four-fifths the cost of air travel, the difference that at first appeared to exist is no longer so great. The added safety of_air travel, and the opportunity lost to use the additional four hours of officers' time would go a considerable way towards diminishing the remain~er of the dif f eren tial. Given this situation, it may be appropriate for those Victorian Government .agencies with a strong involve ment in the Region to investigate the means by which bhey may make use of the air service to transport the officers to and from the region. Such action would undoubtedly improve the viability of air transport operators located in the Region thus enabling them to, maintain and improve the level of service to the region. EAST GIPPSLAND REGIONAL STUDY WORKING PAPERS 1. Demographic and Economic Factors (December 1.976) 2. Integrating Social and Strategic Planning (February 1977) 3. Tourism (April 1977) ! • ) TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING BG·ARD_; LIBRARY '· /If '309C/Cf.-.S-b tltc...~E