Connecting our communities SUBMISSION NO: 322 - ATTACHMENT 2

Country Roads

Your insights, our actions Contents

06 Introduction01 What we’re doing Rebuilding16 Country Roads region by region

06 Where02 we went Barwon Road18 Safety South West

04 26 What you told us 08 Enhancing regional Grampians

10 30 Road maintenance

12 32 Hume Next steps

14 Loddon Mallee Introduction

Your feedback is now shaping the most signifi cant period of planning, construction, maintenance and uplift of the regional road network since World War Two.

The senior leadership team at VicRoads The desire for better links Not accepting that you’re four times has visited every part of Victoria this between regions, safer more likely to die on country roads in year, having frank conversations about Victoria than on metropolitan roads, the state of the roads and what can be overtaking opportunities we will explore a star road safety rating done to better support regions to grow and investment in sealed system to encourage travel on the and thrive. shoulders were commonly safest routes and target road safety improvements. This has been the biggest public raised, along with concerns engagement that VicRoads has ever about poor roadside We’ll also be making a much bigger done in its 100 year history. Your insights drainage and pot-holes. eff ort to reduce our environmental are now helping us put sensible plans impacts, from recycling a million tyres So what happens now? to government to support the future to re-vegetating roadsides. growth of regional Victoria. Your feedback is shaping the most signifi cant period of planning, Victorians told us they want much With the population outside construction, maintenance and uplift greater transparency about what is expected to double to two million of the regional road network since happening on their roads. VicRoads people within 20 years, now is the time World War Two. Work is ramping will produce a State of the Roads to begin the modernisation of the road up across every region: from major report to be clear about current road network for the next generation, to duplications to improving conditions and better inform future strengthen links between and around signage, cycling paths and road safety decisions by government. growing centres. treatments that will make it almost And it won’t stop there. As part of Country Roads sums up what we heard impossible to run off the road or hit Transport for Victoria’s development and saw and what is now being done another car head-on across all major of an integrated regional roads to rebuild the regional road network to interstate highways. strategy for medium and long- support a new era of regional prosperity. Alongside the doubling of road term improvements, your feedback will be considered by the Victorian You have told us plainly: fi x the roads maintenance this year, planning is Government as we prepare projects that need fi xing because they are our underway for improvements that for funding consideration in the future. lifelines; make it safer and easier for will set regional Victoria up for us to move around without hurting continued growth. We will work much Thanks to everyone for their invaluable ourselves or damaging our goods; and more closely with local regions to feedback that is informing a sensible help set our regions up for tourism and understand changing traffi c volumes plan of action for country roads economic growth while giving people and regional economies, and we will in Victoria. better connections to job opportunities partner with Visit Victoria to develop John Merritt and each other. new tourist drives to attract more tourists to stay longer. Chief Executive, VicRoads

Connecting our communities / 1 Where we went

Mildura

NSW

Wemen

Swan Hill

Sea Lake NSW

Kerang

Wodonga Warracknabeal Charlton

Nhill

SA Dooen Bright

NSW

Stawell Maryborough Mansfield Broadford Ararat

Woodend

Ballarat

Hamilton

Stratford Bannockburn

Morwell Colac Portland Anglesea

Port Campbell Lorne

Wonthaggi

2 / VICROADS COUNTRY ROADS Country Roads statewide engagement

Mildura

NSW

Connected with Met with Spoke with more more than 11,000 30 councils than 700 people Wemen country Victorians

Engaged with freight operators, transport industry, businesses, tourism operators, environmental and wildlife groups, cycling enthusiasts, motorcycle groups, government agencies, the Victorian Farmer’s Federation, RACV and Regional Development Victoria.

Sea Lake NSW

Kerang

Wodonga Warracknabeal Charlton

Nhill Shepparton Wangaratta

SA Dooen Bendigo Bright

NSW

Stawell Maryborough Mansfield Omeo Broadford Ararat

Woodend

Ballarat

Hamilton Bairnsdale

Stratford Bannockburn Geelong

Morwell Warrnambool Colac Portland Anglesea Korumburra Community session Lorne

Wonthaggi Stakeholder session Apollo Bay Roads travelled Map not to scale

Connecting our communities / 3 What you told us

Grampians Loddon Mallee Hume Statewide feedback

• Changing face of farming with • More river crossings • Signifi cant intermodal freight Road maintenance Regional economies bigger machinery • Support for tourism in Charlton, opportunities You want better road maintenance Understand the changing face of • Supporting more grain on to rail and Wedderburn • Shepparton Bypass a priority including more shoulder grading, farming with fewer and larger farms instead of road • Alternative truck routes • Road safety a critical concern better surface repairs, more vegetation with bigger machinery on the roads • Better connections for freight to avoid towns • More can be done to improve management and better quality long and growing export demands, including into Melbourne • Safer cycling routes key tourism destinations term fi xes. more opportunities for rail freight. • ouT rism growing through Silo • Protection of wildlife and native • Road signage is important Art Trail, the Grampians, Sea Lake plant species • Improve roads to keep pace with Road safety Environment • Wind farm development • Intensive farming of almonds, increased population, tourism You want sealed shoulders, smoother You expressed concern about native • Ballarat regional growth needs carrots and other produce and industry roads, widening of narrow roads, plant species being lost and wildlife in support has impacts • Interface with freight and growing more safe overtaking opportunities danger. We need to do more to protect • • Better connections for freight residential areas and safer speeds around schools the environment by minimising impact Melbourne and other regional from Mildura to Melbourne • Ccl y ing safety along the Great and shopping areas. on trees, revegetating the road reserve and use recycled materials in road works. centres • More freight to be moved by rail Alpine Road Tourism • New ways to inform drivers of • Bypasses along Western Highway • Removing trucks from Mildura’s Better support tourism by improved Road safety barriers unique weather conditions in • Importance of protecting town centre signage, more rest areas, use of You want to know why so much money Alpine region roadside native vegetation • Improve roads to keep pace with technology to share tourist information, is being invested in them and how they • Safety around schools and main • Growing horticulture increased population, tourism more road safety messages and save lives. streets on country highways • ouT rism potential of and industry upgrades to key tourism routes. the Grampians • Choke points in Wangaratta Cycling and Rutherglen Trucks You want more bike paths/lanes and You want trucks out of towns and wider better road maintenance for commuter shoulders where trucks, cars and bikes and recreational cyclists. share the road. Strengthen bridges, upgrade intersections, add rest areas and Connectivity provide more overtaking opportunities Better road connections between along key freight routes to enable bigger regional centres including Geelong, and more productive trucks. Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton, Benalla, Mans fi eld and links in Gippsland.

Gippsland

• Better north-south connections Barwon South West • Alternative truck routes around growing towns • Major reconstruction of roads • G r owing number of commuters serving Port of Portland across Gippsland • Keeping Melbourne • Longer-stay tourism potential open for tourism Metro between Mt Baw Baw, Phillip • Widening narrow seal roads Island, Wilson’s Promontory used by freight, school buses and and tourists • • Multilingual signage for international tourists • G r owing freight task with • Enormous residential, commuter intensive agriculture and tourism growth • Growing demand for cycling • Safer cycling opportunities • Dairy farms getting larger with • More inland routes to relieve oversized equipment on roads Great Ocean Road congestion • Sealing of gravel roads

Map not to scale

4 / VICROADS COUNTRY ROADS Statewide feedback Grampians Loddon Mallee Hume Statewide feedback

• Changing face of farming with • More river crossings • Signifi cant intermodal freight Road maintenance Regional economies bigger machinery • Support for tourism in Charlton, opportunities You want better road maintenance Understand the changing face of • Supporting more grain on to rail Echuca and Wedderburn • Shepparton Bypass a priority including more shoulder grading, farming with fewer and larger farms instead of road • Alternative truck routes • Road safety a critical concern better surface repairs, more vegetation with bigger machinery on the roads • Better connections for freight to avoid towns • More can be done to improve management and better quality long and growing export demands, including into Melbourne • Safer cycling routes key tourism destinations term fi xes. more opportunities for rail freight. • ouT rism growing through Silo • Protection of wildlife and native • Road signage is important Art Trail, the Grampians, Sea Lake plant species • Improve roads to keep pace with Road safety Environment • Wind farm development • Intensive farming of almonds, increased population, tourism You want sealed shoulders, smoother You expressed concern about native • Ballarat regional growth needs carrots and other produce and industry roads, widening of narrow roads, plant species being lost and wildlife in support has impacts • Interface with freight and growing more safe overtaking opportunities danger. We need to do more to protect • • Better connections for freight residential areas and safer speeds around schools the environment by minimising impact Melbourne and other regional from Mildura to Melbourne • Ccl y ing safety along the Great and shopping areas. on trees, revegetating the road reserve and use recycled materials in road works. centres • More freight to be moved by rail Alpine Road Tourism • New ways to inform drivers of • Bypasses along Western Highway • Removing trucks from Mildura’s Better support tourism by improved Road safety barriers unique weather conditions in • Importance of protecting town centre signage, more rest areas, use of You want to know why so much money Alpine region roadside native vegetation • Improve roads to keep pace with technology to share tourist information, is being invested in them and how they • Safety around schools and main • Growing horticulture increased population, tourism more road safety messages and save lives. streets on country highways • ouT rism potential of and industry upgrades to key tourism routes. the Grampians • Choke points in Wangaratta Cycling and Rutherglen Trucks You want more bike paths/lanes and You want trucks out of towns and wider better road maintenance for commuter shoulders where trucks, cars and bikes and recreational cyclists. share the road. Strengthen bridges, upgrade intersections, add rest areas and Connectivity provide more overtaking opportunities Better road connections between along key freight routes to enable bigger regional centres including Geelong, and more productive trucks. Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton, Benalla, Mans fi eld and links in Gippsland.

Gippsland

• Better north-south connections Barwon South West • Alternative truck routes around growing towns • Major reconstruction of roads • G r owing number of commuters serving Port of Portland across Gippsland • Keeping Great Ocean Road Melbourne • Longer-stay tourism potential open for tourism Metro between Mt Baw Baw, Phillip • Widening narrow seal roads Island, Wilson’s Promontory used by freight, school buses and East Gippsland and tourists • • Multilingual signage for Phillip Island international tourists • G r owing freight task with • Enormous residential, commuter intensive agriculture and tourism growth • Growing demand for cycling • Safer cycling opportunities • Dairy farms getting larger with • More inland routes to relieve oversized equipment on roads Great Ocean Road congestion • Sealing of gravel roads

*The VicRoads Country Roads engagement was based on Regional Development Victoria’s fi ve Map not to scale Victorian Regions and nine Regional Partnerships.

Connecting our communities / 5 What you told us region by region Barwon South West

Aireys Inlet, Anglesea, Apollo Bay, Camperdown, Colac, Geelong,

Hamilton, Lorne, Port Campbell, 17 Melbourne , Portland, Torquay and 18 20 16 Warrnambool. 4 8 22 35 21 37 27 32 26 30 13 14 12 40 38 39 “Better signage is required for major “Identify the worst 5 9 28 2 “We have school buses, 25 10 tourist destinations. Too many times based on the state of the roads 1 have there been incidences and near themselves and fi x them.” we have tourists, we 6 30 23 misses from travellers missing the turn – comment on the 34 have parents taking their 29 3 36 for Bells Beach and still attempting to 15 Barwon online forum 19 make the turn in a 100km/hr zone… children to and from 7 “I am a 30-year resident of the Aire 31 Signs need to be well in advance of school and you combine 33 the turn.” Valley… I/we are sick to death of the annual state of the roads between it with logging trucks, it’s 24 – comment on the 11 Barwon online forum here and Colac, especially the eternally just a bad combination.” potholed and surface broken Ridge Rd, “Reduce tra c on Great Ocean Rd by to Beech Forest.” – Leonie - Portland community forum improving and sealing inland roads – Pete Gee to Lorne and Wye River. Add slow turn out lanes and run advertising “The Midland has twice the tra c campaigns on their use.” between Bannockburn and Geelong – Allen as between Geelong and Colac – yet is often seen as the poor cousin to the “We recently returned from a West.” caravanning holiday in South – comment from a Bannockburn and NSW … we knew when we were resident at the Ballarat forum back in Victoria because the fi rst thing we encountered was one of those “When roads get upgraded, VicRoads ‘Rough Surface’ signs that Victoria are need to also create paths along major famous for. We also found that there arterials so people don’t have to drive are many roads in Victoria where it is everywhere and riders don’t have to really dangerous to tow a caravan.” mix with tra c.” – Trevor Brehaut – Tony G

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What we’re doing now

Major upgrades 13 Geelong-Portarlington Road 27 $3m Fyansford-Gherringhap Road, 1 $363m Princes Highway 14 -Mortlake Road shoulder and barrier duplication, Waurn Ponds 15 Carlisle-Colac Road 28 $2m Lower Duneed Road shoulder, to Colac* drainage and barrier 16 Geelong-Ballan Road 2 $109m Drysdale Bypass 29 Deans Marsh-Lorne Road, 17 Skipton Road 3 $100m Great Ocean Road upgrade improvements for motorcyclists with road resurfacing, bridge 18 Rokewood-Skipton Road 30 West Geelong and Warrnambool, strengthening and other targeted improvements for pedestrians improvments* Safety upgrades 19 $53m for safety improvements to 4 $40m improvement works from $18m bridge strengthening Great Ocean Road to reduce the Colac to South Australian border, and replacement risk of landslides and make the road safety upgrade, intersection 31 Great Ocean Road, Wye River more resilient improvements, more overtaking 32 Cowies Creek and rail spur, opportunities* 20 $46m for safety improvements to North Geelong (four bridges) 41 kilometres of Geelong-Bacchus 5 $40m upgrade of narrow roads* Marsh Road, including centre line 33 Wye River 6 $40m to strengthen and resurface safety barriers, overtaking lanes and 34 Moggs Creek four key roads servicing the Port of new roundabouts Portland (Green Triangle upgrade)* 21 $17m Princes Highway, Laverton Planning underway 7 $10m Forrest-Apollo Bay Road North to Waurn Ponds, safety 35 Princes Highway west, Colac to the upgrade* barriers South Australian border 8 $10m upgrade* 22 $10m Hamilton Highway, key 36 Anglesea Road, Princes Highway 9 $1.3m for an independent taskforce freight route to western Victoria west to Coombes Road duplication to boost tourism and improve 23 $12m Anglesea Road/Great Ocean 37 Great South Coast High coordination Road, Bellbrae to Anglesea, new Productivity Freight Vehicle roundabouts, centre-line widening Planning $95m road maintenance and intersection improvements 38 Barwon Heads Road, duplication and repair, including: 24 $4m , shoulder 39 Grubb Road, Ocean Grove 10 Barwon Heads Road and barrier 40 extension 11 Otway Lighthouse Road 25 $4m Barwon Heads, roundabout (Bellarine Link) 12 Fyans Street, Geelong 26 $3m Geelong CBD, cycling and pedestrian upgrades *Joint Federal and State funding Connecting our communities / 7 What you told us region by region Grampians

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Ararat, Avoca, , Ballarat, 8 14 Beaufort, Daylesford, Edenhope, 9 Great Western, Hopetoun, Horsham,

Kaniva, Nhill, St Arnaud, Stawell and 2 Warracknabeal. 29 7 33 11 17 27 1 26 “The Midland Highway has a lot of “You get grain centres popping up 36 37 28 “One thing that’s come 38 20 commuter tra c so many school on road networks that never used 31 13 12 23 zones – it needs to become a regional to be there and tourism’s obviously up is the Silo Art Trail 25 16 5 15 22 19 ring road that links Geelong, Ballarat, picked up a fair bit and now we have 6 30 and the number of 35 34 32 4 24 Bendigo, Shepparton, Benalla and things like Silo Art Trails and Sea Lake Melbourne 21 18 Mansfi eld.” becoming of international interest, tourists that we have 10 - Comment at Ballarat which changes the dynamic of the coming up this way stakeholder forum whole area.” – Kevin Erwin, Chair of the who aren’t familiar “I have travelled the Western Highway Wimmera Southern Mallee with the roads. We many times over my life and have Transport Group. always just loved the roadside have farmers with large vegetation…Roadsides have changed, “The proposed CVLX Saleyards machinery that are which is sad for me, but we’re working development has only one entry point on roads and people with VicRoads to make sure that o Highway. There must be there’ll be trees and vegetation that is safe access for heavy vehicles into/out are just not expecting grown somewhere else.” of the saleyards.” those things.” - Helen Lewers, environmental - Marla Stone, Miner’s Rest – advocate at the Ararat community online forum – Debra Nelson, Mayor of forum Hindmarsh Shire Council “VicRoads needs to focus on long “As a routine driver between lasting results rather than temporary and Melbourne.... the state of the road repairs.” surface, markings and alignment is - Wimmera Mallee seriously substandard.... the lack of bypasses is at the top of the list...” stakeholder comment - David Singe – online forum “Speed limits are a key concern and there are mixed views as to how to respond. Some suggest reducing speed limits to increase road users’ and wildlife safety. Others suggest raising speed limits to increase tra c e ciency.” - Wimmera Mallee stakeholder feedback

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What we’re doing now Safety upgrades 27 Mt Macedon-Hanging Rock Road, Major upgrades 18 Western Freeway, M80 Ring Road Mt Macedon Road to Lancefield- 1 $670m Western Highway to Ballarat, barriers both sides Woodend Road, improvements for duplication 19 Pykes Creek curve, road motorcyclists 2 $20m Western Highway realignment 28 Mt Macedon Road, Macedon- 3 Western Highway, Kaniva to the 20 $12m Midland Highway upgrade Woodend Road to Mt South Australian border from Ballarat to Creswick with Macedon-Hanging Rock Road, 4 $15m upgrade Halletts Way flexible safety barriers, three improvements for motorcyclists , Bacchus Marsh* new roundabouts at Millers Rd, Cummins Rd and Kennedys Rd, as Bridge strengthening $58m road maintenance and repair well as new overtaking lanes and 29 Maryborough-St Arnaud Road 5 Bacchus Marsh-Gisborne Road wider road shoulders. 30 Western Freeway, Pykes Creek 6 21 $46m for safety improvements to 31 Mortlake-Ararat Road 7 Pyrenees Highway 41 kilometres of Geelong-Bacchus 8 Marsh Road, including centre-line Planning underway safety barriers, overtaking lanes 9 32 Midland Highway, Howitt Street to and new roundabouts Coronet Street, Ballarat 10 Geelong-Bacchus Marsh Road 22 Ballarat CBD, cycling 33 Midland Highway, Castlemaine to 11 Daylesford-Malmsbury Road improvements Harcourt capacity improvements 12 Ballan-Daylesford Road 23 Western Freeway/Ballarat- 34 Midland Highway, duplication 13 Bungeree Creswick Road Maryborough Road, intersection of the roundabout at Docwra St 14 upgrade intersection 15 Ballarat-Carnham Road 24 Gisborne Road/Western Freeway, 35 Midland Highway/Hertford Street 16 Western Highway/Freeway intersection upgrade intersection upgrade 17 25 Midland Highway, Ballarat to 36 Western Highway/Ararat - Stawell Creswick 37 Ararat Bypass* 26 Daylesford-Trentham Road, 38 Beaufort Bypass* Lancefield to Woodend, improvements for motorcyclists

*Joint Federal and State funding Connecting our communities / 9 What you told us region by region 33 Gippsland 14

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Bairnsdale, Churchill, Drouin, Foster, 32 15 43 Melbourne 4 11 Inverloch, Korumburra, Lakes Entrance, 27 18 2 17 12 , Mallacoota, Moe, Morwell, 19 1 41 30 34 24 9 21 35 1 28 25 20 26 Omeo, , Phillip Island, Sale, 16 36 37 39 42 Traralgon, Warragul and Wonthaggi. 7 23 8 10 31 29 40 3 “All Victorians deserve rural roads “You can drop speed limits, you can fi x “Milk trucks, quarry 44 22 that they can rely on. The poor road roads, it won’t change a thing. The true condition that users experience should cause of road accidents is dangerous trucks, the amount 13 be addressed.” drivers. We will only see improvements of heavy traffi c has - comment on Morwell forum when people start to take care when driving and stop making excuses.” doubled. The roads “The road from Stratford to Ma ra was - Josh Stuchbery – Facebook don’t improve, they built probably 100 years ago, it’s just get worse.” breaking up all the time.” “I’ve been in the industry for 40 years and I know what we’re on about, we’re – George Haywood, Briagolong – John Benson - Stratford on about the road conditions. The community forum “We would like speed limits reduced road conditions are poor. We’ve got in Omeo, improved overtaking a white line separates B-doubles, the opportunities, better access for pulling roads aren’t wide enough.” o on the side of roads, and the drains – Rick Ingram, B-double driver, must be cleaned more regularly.” Bairnsdale - Cate Spencer, Omeo community forum “If we can close the distance between tourism attractions in Gippsland, “We get 10 million visitors a year getting people from Phillip Island predominantly by car or bus and so Nature Park to Mt Baw Baw and the the road network is absolutely crucial… Gippsland Lakes, people won’t look at Something as simple as the signage Gippsland as a one-day destination.” and identifying key destinations, not - Mary Aldred, CEO of the just the next town, would allow visitors Committee for Gippsland that aren’t familiar with the region to make a more informed journey and “The coast road between Cape feel comfortable about where they’re Patterson and Inverloch is a major heading.” tourist route and cycling route too.... – Terry Robinson, Chief Executive This desperately needs a shoulder Offi cer Destination Gippsland and/or bike lane.” - D.t. poynton - online comment “I’d love to see overtaking lanes on Ma ra-Sale Road! The amount of “What’s most important for Gippsland’s idiots who can’t drive at the speed roads is connectivity to support limit is infuriating!” tourism, which is our economic future. - Alannah Wallace, Facebook So the network linkages that enable that to happen is going to be really critical to connect the Bass Coast area, down through South Gippsland and then out into the East.” – comment at Morwell forum.

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What we’re doing now Major upgrades 18 Princes Highway East, Sale to 33 , Bogong High 1 $260m Princes Highway East Bairnsdale, centre-line barriers Plains Road to Anglers Rest, duplication, Traralgon East, 19 Maffra-Sale Road, Sale to Maffra, improvements for motorcyclists Nambrok and Fulham centre-line widening Bridge strengthening and 2 $51.5m safety upgrades between 20 Princes Highway East, Longwarry replacement Sale and Bairnsdale to Traralgon, barriers both sides 34 $8.6m on Tyers Road, Latrobe 3 $50m 21 Princes Highway East, Traralgon River bridge replacement upgrade, Koonwarra to Sale 35 Princes Highway East, Little Moe 4 $50m on Princes Highway, 22 South Gippsland Highway, River, Darnum Bairnsdale to Leongatha to Meeniyan, centre- border 36 Princes Highway East, Morwell line barriers River floodplain, Hernes Oak 5 $10.6m on two overtaking lanes 23 , Lang Lang to San at Thurra and Bellbird on Princes 37 Princes Highway East, Loy Yang- Remo Morwell Road, Morwell Highway 24 Shared bike path between Morwell 6 $10m on and Traralgon Planning underway 7 $10m on 38 $10m upgrade of the Great Alpine Freight upgrades 8 $7m , Road from Bruthen to Cobungra is roundabout 25 Princes Highway East, Lloyd Street being planned with communities off-ramp and will include safety barriers, $46m road maintenance and repair, 26 Princes Highway East/Bank Street, road widening and six slow- including: traffic signals vehicle pullover areas.* 9 Tyers-Thompson Valley Road 27 Princes Highway East, roundabout 39 Princes Highway East 10 Korumburra-Wonthaggi Road improvement - Traralgon Bypass 11 Princes Highway East 28 Princes Highway East, truck rest 40 Warragul and Drouin network improvements 12 Stratford-Maffra Road area signage 41 Bass Highway - Anderson to 13 Meeniyan-Promontory Road 29 Bass Highway/Korumburra- Wonthaggi Road, intersection Leongatha (corridor planning) 14 signals 42 Princes Highway east - Sale 15 Bruthen-Nowa Nowa Road 30 Moe West, new truck stop and alternative truck route 16 Hyland Highway, Traralgon freeway ramp upgrades 43 Princes Highway East network 31 Bass Highway/Korumburra- improvements (Bairnsdale) Safety upgrades Wonthaggi Road, traffic lights* 44 South Gippsland Highway, 17 Paynesville Road, Bairnsdale to 32 Great Alpine Road, Licola to Korumburra Paynesville, centre-line widening Heyfield, improvements for and barriers motorcycle riders

*Joint Federal and State funding *Joint Federal and State funding, in conjunction with Council Connecting our communities / 11 What you told us region by region Hume - Goulburn and Ovens Murray

Benalla, , Bright, Corryong, Eildon, Euroa, Seymour, Shepparton, Mansfi eld, Wangaratta, Wodonga and Yarrawonga.

“Help people fi nd their way! Get the “There have been 13 landslips on “I think the roads here interface working between VicRoads/ Bogong High Plains Road... a lot more Council/Parks.” seepage and subsidence than the are more than just a - Shepparton stakeholder forum Great Ocean Road.” conduit to get you - Council “Recognise the potential to work with from A to B... they councils after weather events to fi x up “Northern Highway, Pyalong is are really part of our the roads because we can end up with receiving an ever increasing amount a patchwork quilt.” of tra c, even more so during holiday tourism assets.” periods. Many drivers are frustrated - Wodonga stakeholder forum – Michelle Armstrong, with the lack of ability to pass slow Bright stakeholder forum “There is growing number of people moving vehicles and are endangering with caravans and people movers that themselves and others..... More passing need to be better catered for – we had lanes...” a 20% increase this Easter.” - Mansfi eld stakeholder meeting - Charleen – online forum

“It’s far quicker to get from Shepparton “I think the roads here are more than to Ballarat by going to Melbourne and just a conduit to get you from A to B. out again. The Midland Highway route The roads here are really part of our from Shepparton to Ballarat is not tourism assets that link you, with most good.” people coming up here want to experience the natural assets - Ballarat stakeholder meeting that we have...” “It’s really important to look at how - Michelle Armstrong - bikes can be accommodated because if you come up here as a visitor and Wangaratta resident you want to cycle outside of town, you and cyclist enthusiast also want to come into town and visit Melbourne is Victoria’s capital – not the cafes and enjoy all the other wine just inner Melbourne – country people and food experiences, but you want to need access to Melbourne too.” do it on your bike and you want to do it safely.” - Bruce Robertson, Wangaratta community session - Michelle Armstrong, Bright stakeholder forum

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What we’re doing now

Major upgrades 11 Katamite-Yarrawonga Road, 25 , 1 $18m Great Alpine Road Yarrawonga Yea to Cathkin 2 $10m Shepparton Bypass, 12 , Kotupna, 26 Goulburn Valley Highway, planning and pre-construction Ebden and Cobram East Molesworth to Cathkin, centre-line and intersection upgrades to the 13 Murchison - Violet Town Road, safety barriers Ford Road, Wanganui Road and Miepoll 27 Beechworth-Wodonga Road, Goulburn Valley Highway 14 Mount Buller Road, Mansfield Beechworth to Yackandandah 3 $20m Shepparton alternative 15 Wangaratta-Whitfield Road, Moyhu 28 Hume Freeway rest areas, Bentons route roundabouts 16 Wangaratta Road, Bowser Hill, Reef Hills and Balmattum 29 Shelley-Walwa Road, repair $42m road maintenance and repair and Wangaratta. Wahgunyah- Wangaratta Road 30 Mansfield-Whitfield Road, Mansfield 4 Hume Freeway, Wallan and Euroa 17 Tatura-Undera Road, Gillieston to Whitfield, improvements for 5 $8m and Undera motorcyclists improvements from Wodonga to Mt Beauty* plus repairs to 18 Benalla-Tocumwal Road, Katamite Bridge strengthening Kiewa East Road, Huon and 19 Benalla-Yarrawonga Road, Benalla 31 Dookie-Nalinga Road Tangambalanga 20 Hume Link Highway, Wodonga 6 Goulburn Valley Highway, Yea 21 Midland Highway, Stewarton and Planning underway 7 , Castella Benalla 32 Northern Highway Upgrade Stage 1 8 Glenrowan- Road, 22 Goulburn Valley Highway, Cobram, 33 A preferred project route for the Yarrowe and Shepparton $4 million Rutherglen alternative truck route is now being identified 9 Whittlesea-Yea Road, Kinglake Safety upgrades with construction expected to start West and Flowerdale 23 Midland Highway, Shepparton to in late 2018.* 10 Broadford - Flowerdale Road, Stanhope Strath Creek 24 Hume Freeway, M80 Ring Road to Albury/Wodonga

*Joint Federal and State funding Connecting our communities / 13 23 What you told us region by region Loddon Mallee

Bendigo, Castlemaine, Echuca, 30

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Maryborough, Mildura, Swan Hill, 4 13 Wedderburn, , Sea Lake, 31 22 1 15 6 Manangatang and . 9 30 19 17 26 5 “Our rail is far from reliable here and “If a pothole of bump occurs on the “ As the border to the 24 we have no air service currently, so line of a road where cyclists normally 36 37 12 the road to Melbourne means a lot ride, which is usually within a metre of desert we have a lot 30 7 34 to everybody in town. With driverless 10 2 the road edge, or in a bike lane, then it 33 cars, we’ll need to make sure that our of opportunity for 8 is not safe and it needs to be fi xed and 16 32 roads keep up with the technology so 11 it doesn’t matter whether it fi ts within tourism and we just 21 we can get to destinations sooner and 30 your maintenance standards or not.” need to make it easier 25 safer.” - Margaret Douglas, Bike Safe 27 18 for people to travel 29 - Matthew, local business 30 28 20 director in Swan Hill here and enjoy it. So 35 “Our group is especially pleased ... more rest stops with Melbourne “It’d be great to get a ring road around there will be a greater emphasis on 3 Bendigo to reduce congestion and get pavement rehabilitation rather than toilets and facilities to trucks out of Bendigo, which would be just patching of pot-holes.” make it easy.” better and safer all round.” - Cr Kevin Erwin, Chair of the – Ken Wakefi eld - Mildura - Brendan Maher, from Maher’s Wimmera Southern Mallee Regional stakeholder forum Transport in Bendigo Transport Group

“It’s really important in our community “There’s an issue with the crossroad just to have roads that help lift the in Manangatang and also the Sea presentation of our many towns, Lake- Road. For many particularly from a tourism point of years we’ve been trying to get some view, as well as the local amenity. That upgrading done. The road is very really makes people feel like they’re dangerous, especially with the amount thought about and cared for.” of B-double trucks that are now using - Darren Fuzzard, CEO the road.” of Mt Alexander Shire - Greg Plant, Manangatang Victorian Farmers’ Federation “97% of people come to our region by road, so our roads are incredibly “The main issues that we’ve had in our important for tourism and economic area regard the typical Wimmera Wave, growth. I hadn’t really thought about the way the road changes with the safety barriers and fl exible white posts moisture and creates a real undulating and lots of things that VicRoads have surface…it makes it hard travelling with introduced to improve safety. They trucks and cars along the road - you haven’t communicated very well, so tend to bounce all over the shop. So people don’t necessarily know what it’s a pretty tough fi x, but something those rope barriers are for.” for the VicRoads guys to think about.” - Win Scott, Chair of Mallee - Luke Batters, resident of Guroke in Regional Partnership St Arnaud district

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36 37 12 30 7 34 10 2 33 8 16 32 11 21 30 25

27 18 29 30 28 20

35 Melbourne 3

What we’re doing now

Major upgrades 15 Echuca-Mooroopna Road, Wyuna 28 Mt Macedon-Hanging Rock Road, Mt Macedon Road to Lancefield- 1 $280m Echuca-Moama Bridge 16 Heathcote- Kyneton Road, Woodend Road, improvements for Project Edgecombe and Redesdale motorcyclists 2 $86m Ravenswood Interchange 17 Prairie-Rochester Road, 29 Mt Macedon Road, Macedon- Project Ballendella Woodend Road to Mt Macedon- 3 $42m Calder Highway, M80 Ring 18 Kilmore-Lancefield Road, Hanging Rock Road, improvements Road to Bendigo Lancemore Hill for motorcyclists 4 $23m Regional Roads upgrade 19 Lancaster-Moroopna Road, 30 Delivery of $6.6m of Australian 5 Calder Highway intersection Lancaster Blackspot funding in Greater upgrades, overtaking and centre- Bendigo, Swan Hill, Campaspe, line widening trial Safety upgrades Mitchell and Macedon Ranges 6 Murray Valley Highway 20 Melbourne-Lancefield Road, intersection upgrades overtaking lanes, flexible safety Bridge strengthening barriers, widening and intersection 31 Murray Valley Highway, Patho 7 Strathfieldsaye Road/Tanner Lane upgrades traffic signals 21 Pyrenees Highway Planning underway 8 Jock Comini truck rest area 22 Murray Valley Highway/Warren 32 Kilmore Wallan Bypass - Stage 1 9 Northern Hwy, Rochester to Street, roundabout 33 Hume Freeway/Wallan Whittlesea Rd Echuca, overtaking lanes 23 Mildura CBD, pedestrian safety and 34 Station/Saunders Road intersection 10 Lockwood Crossing roundabout roundabout improvements upgrade 11 Seymour-Tooborac roundabout 24 Wimmera Highway, intersection 35 Calder Park Drive, Calder Freeway 12 Napier Street, Bendigo duplication improvements 36 Road Calder Highway works 25 Heathcote-Kyneton Road/Ennis Improvements Road, intersection improvements $57m road maintenance and repair, 37 Barry Street/Main Road intersection including: 26 Sunraysia Highway, intersection upgrade, Bendigo 13 Murray Valley Highway, Echuca improvements and Kerang 27 Lancefield-Woodend Road, 14 Sunraysia Highway, Birchip Lancefield to Woodend, improvements for motorcyclists

Connecting our communities / 15 Rebuilding country roads

The lives and livelihoods of people in country Victoria have changed considerably since the rural road network was fi rst laid down 70 years ago.

We’re travelling longer distances to Shipping containers of Victorian hay A major rebuild of the regional work in a growing services economy, are now feeding Japan’s cows to road network is underway. where regional tourism employs nearly quadruple milk production, while the The important groundwork to rebuild as many people as agriculture almond produce from Mildura is eaten the country transport network for – one in six. in one festive day of the year in India. a new era of regional prosperity Vegetables are now being grown under The numbers of people prepared to is underway. glasshouses in Gippsland and the commute long distances to enjoy the Loddon Mallee that are 40 hectares The condition and maintenance of lifestyle benefi ts of regional Victoria in size. country roads was raised by many is growing by the day, with the 2016 people throughout our engagement. census showing a record 76,210 The increase in visitation to regional Participants shared a need for VicRoads Melburnians moved to regional Victoria Victoria is also impressive. Seeing to “go beyond the reactive approach in the last fi ve years, making it one of tourists at Lake Tyrell taking pre- and ‘band-aid’ solutions, such as the nation’s fastest growing regions. wedding Instagram shots, and patching or reducing speeds, to fi x and recreational vehicles parked outside the The lure of rural lifestyles and more maintain the country roads’’. The quality world’s tallest canvasses on the Silo Art aff ordable housing in towns with good of road repairs was also raised and Trail helped us appreciate the potential road and rail links to Melbourne is needs to be addressed. to support the growing international seeing signifi cant population growth in and domestic tourism market. The Victorian Budget 2017/18 major regional towns in an arc around allocates $556 million to double road Melbourne. Ballarat, Bendigo, Latrobe This is all taking place on top of an maintenance investment, upgrade Valley and Wodonga are all planning aging road base and at a pace that will more bridges and construct new for future populations of 200,000 or see the population outside Melbourne bypasses. more and Geelong is already there. double to two million people within 20 years. There is also $49 million for upgrades The changing face of farming and to 23 major country roads including the scale of agriculture is staggering. Signifi cant investment is underway the Calder, Bass, Sunraysia and Princes Trucks have grown in size and number, to support regional growth including Highways, and $40 million for upgrades carrying goods for international major highway duplications, the Murray to 17 bridges. markets on roads that were never Basin Rail project and passenger rail designed to carry them – like the Port investments and safety treatments that More than 850 kilometres of of Portland, which now has thousands will make it almost impossible to run deteriorating roads in regional Victoria of B-doubles a day carrying exports to off the road or hit another car head on will benefi t from a $260 million the busiest timber port in the world. across all major interstate highways. But maintenance boost for repair and more can and will be done. resurfacing this year alone. Signifi cant future investment is also planned with $25 million to develop business cases for regional and rural projects. However, it’s not only more investment that’s needed. We need to better respond to what is happening in regional communities and industries and align our eff orts.

16 / VICROADS COUNTRY ROADS Some of the consistent feedback we’ve heard is around four key themes:

Road safety How do we save lives and reduce trauma?

Freight How can we make the network fi t for purpose?

Enhancing regional Victoria as a tourist destination, and a great place to live and work and do business.

Road maintenance How do we best invest in the 19,000 kilometres of country arterials to make the whole network be better, safer and more productive?

Connecting our communities / 17 Road Safety How do we save lives and reduce trauma?

Towards Zero involves the biggest eff ort ever to make country roads safer and close the gap between the number of people being killed on country roads compared with city roads.

The deaths and trauma happening on There were also calls for more sealing What we are doing now country roads is unacceptable. People of shoulders for safety, especially for The Victorian Government’s road safety in country Victoria are four times more cyclists and separation from trucks. A strategy, Towards Zero, involves the likely to die or be seriously injured on lot of people questioned why we’re biggest eff ort ever to close the gap country roads than on metropolitan investing in road safety barriers – and between the number of people dying roads. we need to do a much better job of on country roads compared with city explaining how these treatments work Some of the consistent feedback roads. More than $800 million is being to save lives. we’ve heard is the need for more safe invested in making regional roads more overtaking opportunities on highways. Because they really do. In Seymour, forgiving, including extensive safety Pedestrian and cycling safety was one of the fi rst areas along the Hume barriers and rumble strips that have raised in many places, with the north- Highway to have safety barriers been shown to save lives. east and Loddon Campaspe regions installed, State Emergency Service From every major regional road into having signifi cant concerns with cyclists workers have already seen road Melbourne, 1,700 kilometres of wire- mixing with traffi c on fast moving single accident callouts more than halved rope safety barriers are being installed lane highways. from 45-50 a year to 20. “The same to make it almost impossible to have amount of accidents are still occurring Some communities have unique a head-on crash or to run off the road but due to the barriers they’re not as challenges in reducing the road and hit a tree. The most dangerous severe and people are more likely to trauma. Mildura and Shepparton have duplicated highways will have safety walk away from a crash these days,” high numbers of overseas workers barriers on the left and right hand sides, explained Seymour SES unit controller who have limited experience of our while single lane highways will have Christine Walsh to the Seymour road conditions, while communities more safe overtaking opportunities, Telegraph. along the Great Ocean Road and centre-line barriers and other safety other international tourist destinations treatments such as wide centre-lines. want much greater eff ort to educate A lot of work is underway to make the international drivers on keeping to the roads more forgiving for motorcyclists left side of the road. along 11 high risk regional routes with new rub-rail protective barriers, sealing of bell-mouths (where gravel roads connect with the main road) and better surfaces on approaches to corners. By more than doubling road maintenance across regional Victoria this year, many sections of rough road will be rebuilt, including the Tyers- Thomson Valley Road in Gippsland, the Murray Valley Highway in Kotupna and sections of the Sunraysia, Glenelg and Wimmera highways.

18 / VICROADS COUNTRY ROADS What we will do next — Lower the risk to riders with We’re about to trial an innovative a $2 million enhanced maintenance approach from New Zealand that has program to identify and fi x small dramatically reduced fatal collisions potholes and bumps that could be at merges between high speed rural a hazard and remove loose material highways and low volume country on bends at some 200 recognised roads. Electronic speed zones that motorcycle touring routes trigger slower speeds for merging traffi c — Support communities who want will be trialled and evaluated at three to develop their own road safety locations in north-eastern Victoria. initiatives starting in Omeo, Stratford, Mildura, Shepparton and We’re also going to make it much more tourist destinations where there obvious to everyone on the roads how are high numbers of international safe they are through the introduction drivers of a star-based safety assessment. A — Support local behaviour change Star Rating System will be developed to campaigns to make people more demonstrate the safety benefi ts of new aware of the potential dangers on treatments and encourage driving to their local roads local conditions. — Reduce rough roads as part of We will also : a major uplift in regional road — Tackle the most dangerous maintenance intersections right across Victoria — Construct a new truck stop and rest from removing sharp bends, to area in Moe to tackle fatigue-related installing raised platforms to prevent crashes on the Princes Highway. speeding through traffi c lights — Make intersections safer for cyclists and pedestrians including new shared paths in Geelong, Geelong West, Warrnambool, Mildura, Ballarat, Morwell and Traralgon, and installing a new pedestrian crossing and the fi rst traffi c lights in Wonthaggi

Connecting our communities / 19

Seeing is believing with safety barriers

Truck driver Brian “I’d always smile to myself and “The steel rope got caught on the wonder why VicRoads didn’t spend bumper and did a fair bit of damage Somers has never the money on something else as to the truck but if it hadn’t been had a high opinion of there was no way one of those would there, I would have headed straight stop a big truck like mine,” Brian said. into oncoming traffic. And if I hadn’t wirerope safety barriers hit someone head on, it would have But he has changed his view, as gone straight through a fence and into being installed on the have his colleagues at Tanner Ridge houses on the other side of the road. sides and centre of Transport. highways. Late one afternoon in May, travelling “I hate to think what along the South Gippsland Highway could have happened. towards Grantville in his empty Kenworth semi, Brian’s front right The barrier definitely steer tyre blew. The 15-tonne truck saved lives that day.” slammed into the wire rope safety barrier in the centre of the road and slid along for 100 metres. When the truck finally stopped, Brian, who has been driving trucks for 20 years, couldn’t believe it. The barrier had worked.

20 / VICROADS COUNTRY ROADS More bike friendly towns

“Road-cycling is an increasingly popular activity, but with that comes some of the safety issues and it’s absolutely paramount to keep the roads well maintained. It’s a tourism product as well as an economic product and a transport product.”

That’s exactly what’s happening stones from the side of roads along The growth in cycling with major bike and pedestrian popular routes, like Black Forest Drive is everywhere: from path upgrades in regional cities. in Macedon and the to $15.5 million has been dedicated to Inverloch tourist drive, were raised. the “local lycra” in improve the cycling and pedestrian Michelle Armstrong, a passionate connections in the CBDs of Geelong, , the major cyclist who moved from to Warrnambool and Ballarat. A 11 Wangaratta for the mountains and cycling tourism kilometre bike path is now under lifestyle opportunities in the north-east around in the north- construction to connect Latrobe explained at our Bright session that Valley’s two largest cities, Morwell east and families roads were much more than a conduit and Traralgon with an 11 kilometre to get from A to B. “The roads here wanting to ride shared path. really are part of our tourism assets,” safely around and VicRoads’ maintenance crews will be she said. much more mindful of the impacts between towns. As well as attracting serious mountain of road conditions for cyclists riders, Michelle said many people While historically the road network and motorbike riders, sweeping wanted to be able to ride in to towns wasn’t designed for cyclists and trucks approaches to curves to make roads and visit cafes and experience the to share narrow sealed roads, many more bike-friendly. A $2.2 million region’s food and wine. “You want to people raised the need to plan ahead enhanced maintenance package do it on your bike and you want to for shared paths and safer shoulders in funded from the Motorcycle Levy will do it safely, so it’s important that the future road upgrades. make the most popular motorcycle towns have those reassurances to routes safer. The need to sweep people - that yes, we’re bike friendly.

Connecting our communities / 21 Reducing collisions at high speed intersections

In the first trial of its kind in Victoria, three high-speed intersections in north-east Victoria will have electronic speed signs installed.

For every 100 km stretch of high Under the pilot, speeds will be speed, high volume road in Victoria, electronically lowered on the Murray 17 people are killed or seriously Valley and Goulburn Valley Highways injured every year. One of the danger in Wahring, Barnawartha and Yalca points is where high speed rural when activated by a vehicle 300 highways intersect with narrow metres away on the low volume and low volume roads that are side roads. The speed limit on the also high speed. main highway will drop to 80km/h in 110km/h zones, and to 70km/h In the first trial of its kind in Victoria, in a 100km/h zone. three high-speed intersections in north-east Victoria will have The trial will be monitored and electronic speed signs installed to evaluated after three months with raise awareness of approaching traffic the intention of introducing to on side-roads. other locations if successful. By triggering a slower speed on the highway only when an oncoming vehicle from the side road is approaching, safer merges should reduce the risk of fatal collisions. A long-term study of the New Zealand system showed an 89% reduction in fatal and serious injuries – a result we aim to replicate here.

22 / VICROADS COUNTRY ROADS Connecting our communities / 23 Freight access How can we make the network fit for purpose?

Victoria is growing faster than any other state and it’s not confined to the boundaries of Melbourne.

Victoria’s road network was never The challenge of maintaining the A Grain Harvest Management Scheme designed for the uses it performs condition of the aging country road is being trialled in Victoria in time for today. Most of Victoria’s rural road network has grown over the last 20 this year’s harvest, after farmers and network was built more than 70 years years, with increases in the volume of grain operators raised the difficulty ago – beyond the average lifespan of traffic and the size of vehicles using of accurately weighing grain loads a road – out of low-cost local roads, changing land use and growing during last year bumper harvest. materials that is prone to wear from communities. A five percent loading concession unplanned truck use. will be allowed this harvest to boost One B-double truck has the same productivity for an important part Building a more resilient and reliable impacts on a road surface as 10,000 of the economy. country road network is fundamental cars, so freight routes need to be to Victoria’s future growth and strong enough to support the heavy- The Australian and Victorian prosperity. Whether it’s getting in to a lifting of the state’s productivity. Governments are investing in projects critical port, terminal or road, there are to connect the Port of Melbourne to Before 1980, the largest vehicle on our a lot of first and last mile challenges major freight hubs and businesses. roads were single semi-trailers which in freight transport logistics that we Rail’s ability to shift larger volumes of could carry up to 40 tonnes. Today the learnt firsthand. freight than trucks is being strongly most common truck on our roads is supported with an $8.4 billion We spent time at the Dooen the B-double which has the capacity investment in the Inland Rail project Intermodal Terminal, GrainCorp’s to legally carry 68.5. The introduction connecting Brisbane and Melbourne. facilities in Warracknabeal, the Logic of heavier trucks has been the single Centre in Wodonga, and toured the greatest development to the freight What we will do next Port of Portland which is the world’s industry and helps drive our healthy —— Work closely with Transport for busiest forestry exporter. We also met economy, but it has also accelerated Victoria on the development with freight operators and drivers the deterioration of our roads. of a regional freight strategy in every region, including at the With freight volumes forecast to grow and a regional roads strategy to East Gippsland Livestock Exchange, at a rate of 1.5% a year, Victoria is investigate alternative freight routes Shepparton, Korumburra, Ballarat and looking for new and more efficient and inter-modal opportunities Bendigo. ways to move goods to market, —— Change the way we assess road A common theme we heard is the through projects like the Murray Basin projects by including the wider changing use of narrow roads, and the Rail Project and bridge strengthening economic value of roads when challenges of freight trucks, oversized throughout the state. planning road upgrades farming machinery, tourists and —— Introduce a rest area system so cyclists all sharing the same roads. What we are doing now long-haul freight drivers can plan The Victorian Budget 2017/18 includes their rest stops ahead The need for alternative routes and a significant upgrade to key freight —— Assess the capacity limits on every bypasses for freight was raised in routes on roads and bridges including highway from Melbourne to our many places, including Traralgon, upgrades around the Port of Portland state borders to prioritise upgrades Mildura, Bendigo and Shepparton. and the in the Green in partnership with industry. People understand the importance Triangle, $10.2 million to plan and of good freight connections, but also undertake preconstruction works want to improve the liveability and for the first stage of the Shepparton attractiveness of their towns. Bypass and $41 million for bridge strengthening projects.

24 / VICROADS COUNTRY ROADS Regional freight route upgrades Regional freight route upgrades

1 Bass Highway/Korumburra-Wonthaggi Rd intersection signals 9 Gisborne Rd/Western Freeway intersection upgrade

2 Shelley-Walwa Rd pavement sealing 10 Princes Highway East/Bank St tra‚c signals

3 Western Freeway/Ballarat-Maryborough Rd intersection upgrade 11 Barwon Heads roundabout

4 Hume Freeway rest areas - Bentons Hill, Reef Hills and Balmattum 12 Fyansford-Gheringhap Rd shoulder and barrier

5 Princes Highway East - LLoyd St o-ramp 13 Lower Duneed Rd shoulder, drainage and barrier

6 Princes Highway East truck rest area signage 14 Cape Otway shoulder and barrier

7 Princes Highway East roundabout improvement 15 Wimmera Highway intersection improvements

8 Calder Highway wide centreline trial 16 Heathcote-Kyneton Rd/Ennis Rd intersection improvements

17 Sunraysia Highway intersection improvements

Mildura

8

Swan Hill

Wodonga Echuca 2

Shepparton Wangaratta

17 4 Horsham 15 Bendigo

16

3 Ballarat

Hamilton 9 Melbourne Bairnsdale 6

12Geelong 5 7 Sale 11 10 Traralgon

Portland 14 13 Warrnambool 1

Connecting our communities / 25 Enhancing regional Victoria

We want to be the number one state to live, work and visit.

Victoria is growing faster than any Another takeaway was the optimism The Victorian Budget 2017/18 includes other state and it’s not confi ned to around tourism and innovation. Instead signifi cant tourism investments across the boundaries of Melbourne. The of looking at roads or bridges in the state including the development population outside Melbourne is set isolation, we are better understanding of a destination management plan to double to two million people in the regional priorities to unlock jobs and for Gippsland, delivery of the next next 20 years. Victoria’s regional labour local solutions. The opportunities to stage Riverfront Development in market is one of the strongest in the better connect all parts of Gippsland Swan Hill, cycling infrastructure in nation with regional employment to the self-driving tourism market the Ovens Murray region and tourism growing by 2.1% in 2016. from Sydney to Melbourne was one infrastructure upgrades along the important example. Great South Coast. Greater Geelong, Ballarat and Greater Bendigo between them are expected Roads clearly underpin the tourism What we will do next to account for half of Victoria’s economy, with the Great Ocean Road — Work closely with Transport for regional growth to 2031. Smaller Victoria’s number one tourist attraction Victoria on improvements to the towns like Drouin and Wallan are drawing seven million visitors a year. country road network, including also growing, with the opening of Phillip Island, the Great Alpine Road, better inter-regional links. new housing allotments having a big central Victoria and the Grampians — Partner with Visit Victoria to impact on townships designed more are among other signifi cant iconic develop tourism drives to attract than a century ago for much smaller tourist routes with growing numbers international and domestic tourists populations. of international and domestic tourists. to stay longer in our regions Regions along some of the nation’s Every area of the state is going as — Map every region for its movement busiest corridors, like Wodonga and hard as it can on attracting tourists and place value, to better protect Shepparton, are also experiencing – local and international, so basic the heritage, environment and signifi cant growth that need issues about road signage and safety is attractiveness of our regions, both the support of good transport fundamental. Whether it’s not enough as places to visit and live. connections. signage for international drivers, or too — Roll-out multilingual road signs many confusing signs, we’ll be taking One of the clear purposes of seeking on key routes for international a good look at signage right across community feedback has been to tourists including the Great Ocean the state. understand the role roads can play Road and Phillip Island as part of a in growing our regions. How can we We saw the enormous growth in statewide review of road signage. make road investments really clever in tourism from the cycling economy — Reduce bottlenecks in towns during this space? in the north-east to the walking popular holiday periods and tourism trails being developed through the events by changing green light Instead of planning around a simple Grampians. Our conversations with fl ows on key tourist routes. hierarchy of roads based on traffi c regional tourism authorities and Visit volumes, we are digging much — Partner with the inaugural High Victoria have uncovered so much Country Women’s Cycling Festival deeper to understand the economic, potential to work together to support to promote more women to environmental and social benefi ts of a growing tourism sector, which is on enjoy the wonderland of downhill transport investments. track to eclipse agriculture as a major runs, cross country tracks and The need to improve links between employer. picturesque trails regional cities that are growing above What we are doing now — Explore how we can better use state average was a common theme: technology to reach people who We’ve been speaking with regional “We need to be developing roads for rely on GPS and smartphones tourism bodies and operators and regional centres rather than having all for traffi c information and way- Regional Partnerships to better roads lead to Melbourne,” is what we fi nding. heard. understand the visitation economy.

26 / VICROADS COUNTRY ROADS Connecting our communities / 27 Enhancing regional Victoria

Becoming a better environmental steward

The importance of protecting rural Given the scale of projects delivered What we will do next spaces and the environment that by VicRoads, and the mass of land Each year in Victoria almost 14 million attract people to visit, move and that adjoins our 19,000 kilometres tyres reach their end of life. If they live in regional Victoria was strongly of arterial roads in the country are not reused, they are dumped or voiced during the Country Roads areas, we have a unique opportunity stockpiled. Across country Victoria engagement. - and responsibility - to be better over the next fi ve years, our goal is to environmental stewards. This is a We heard from many passionate and reuse one million tyres in road works challenge that we intend to run knowledgeable community members annually and invest $1 million towards towards. who are dedicated to protecting the research to identify new opportunities local environment along roadsides. What we are doing now to use recycled products. People like Helen Lewers, who has VicRoads is moving beyond We’ll also work with communities to been an active campaigner on the environmental compliance to plant 100,000 site-indigenous trees Western Highway project, and helped environmental leadership, by working along our road reserves – which add ensure we protected wildlife with closely with people like Judy Crocker, up to Victoria’s longest linear public overhead crossings, and better uses a LandCare facilitator who has land reserves and in some regions, are than fi rewood for the loss of trees. volunteered her time extensively to the only remnants left of indigenous “There’s been many good things that help VicRoads technical staž on the vegetation. Ravenswood project to save as much have come out of this advocacy, Through the partnerships with our roadside vegetation as possible. including a reduction in tree loss statewide community environment numbers that was very important to A state-wide community reference reference groups, we will achieve us,” she said during the Country Roads group has been formed and a training better outcomes for the environment community forum in Ararat.“The program will build staž awareness and and enhance our planning practices to roadsides have changed, which is appreciation of roadside biodiversity minimise our impact when we deliver sad for me, but we’re working to values. road projects. make sure that there’ll be trees and vegetation that is grown somewhere Community members will have a else.” greater voice in decisions až ecting 80,000 hectares of roadside reserves More than a quarter of Victoria’s in Victoria. biodiversity is considered threatened with extinction, and roadsides are home to up to 30% of the remaining native vegetation in some landscapes.

28 / VICROADS COUNTRY ROADS Connecting our communities / 29 Road maintenance - the state of our roads How do we make the country road network better, safer and more productive?

We haven’t done enough in the past to communicate why, how and what we are doing on Victorians’ behalf to improve the roads that people and industries rely on.

The state of our roads A decade-long drought in Victoria What we will do next We have heard a lot about the state stretched the longevity of many roads, The development of the fi rst State of of regional roads and people have but when we experienced once- the Road Network – to be updated told us plainly: fi x the roads that need in-100 year rainfall in the 2016 winter yearly – will allow everyone to see fi xing because they are our lifelines; and spring, some roads gave way, where the needs and opportunities make it safer and easier for us to move including sections of the Great Ocean are greatest, to support better around without hurting ourselves or Road. Areas of high rainfall and high decision-making. The report will give damaging our goods; and give us freight volumes were hard hit. communities a clear line of sight to better connections to employment, What we are doing decisions being made on their behalf. services and each other. The Victorian Budget 2017/18 Over the next year we will: Dangerous intersections, narrow roads, allocates $556 million to double road — Produce a State of the Road poor drainage, slow and ineff ective maintenance investment, upgrade Network report to better inform repairs, impacts on the maintenance more bridges and construct new governments at all levels about road costs of buses and trucks and the need bypasses. conditions and be transparent with for more overtaking lanes, cycling An unprecedented investment of communities about what can be and pedestrian paths were among key $800 million is also underway to done in realistic timelines. concerns raised. make regional roads safer, while our — Involve more communities on Whether there’s not enough signage maintenance program this year has panels to infl uence the everyday for international drivers, or too many a much stronger focus on pavement operational decisions of VicRoads, confusing signs, we also need to take rehabilitation. from road maintenance priorities to a good look at signage right across the alternative approaches to vegetation There is also $49 million for upgrades state. management. to 23 major country roads including Fundamentally, people told us they the Calder, Bass, Sunraysia and — Develop a new suite of road want honesty about the state of their Princes Highways, and $40 million for performance indicators, to be roads and what can be done to fi x upgrades to 17 bridges. published on the VicRoads website, them, in realistic timelines. that refl ect what community and Signifi cant future investment is also industry value about their roads. We haven’t done enough in the past planned with $25 million to develop — Improve the quality of road to communicate why, how and what business cases for 43 regional and construction in the contracting we are doing on Victorians’ behalf to rural road projects. industry improve the roads that people and The Victorian Government also industries rely on. — Meet regularly with Regional Cities announced a special package of Victoria, Regional Assemblies The natural life of a road with regular support for the south-west of the state and other council and industry maintenance is around 60 years. With to rebuild damaged roads and repair stakeholders to align our work with 19,000 kilometres of major rural roads the Great Ocean Road. regional priorities and more than 4,000 bridges across — Finalise a new pavement the country – most of it built after management approach that focuses World War Two – there are signifi cant on making the road network fi t for parts of the network in need of future purposes that is informed by renewal. regional priorities.

30 / VICROADS COUNTRY ROADS Having more of a say on A survey of 400 customers and your roads interviews with 90 people highlighted gaps between people’s expectations Every day of the week, VicRoads has of road maintenance and our own assessors out on the roads, measuring maintenance priorities. the performance and safety of roads, from the depth of pot-holes People care deeply about the to the impacts of heavy vehicles, to maintenance of their roads, and they determine the best interventions to want the opportunity to infl uence keep the network running well. our work that we traditionally saw as ‘operational’. While legislative requirements mandate some roadwork above Similarly in East Gippsland, when others, the importance of involving communities were given insights into communities and industries in the the costs of various road interventions operational decisions that a ect their to improve overtaking opportunities lives and livelihoods demands a fresh on the Princes Highway, a preference approach. for more turn-outs and road shoulders was supported rather than fewer and A recent pilot at our Geelong more costly duplications. customer service centre highlighted that while our methodology is VicRoads will continue to engage with rigorous, too often we make communities, industries and councils assumptions about what our about their road maintenance communities value most in the road priorities to align our e orts. maintenance space.

Connecting our communities / 31 Next Steps

As part of Transport for Victoria, we will be sharing the Country Roads feedback to help develop a long-term integrated regional transport strategy and action plan.

So, where to from here? We’ll be Our eff orts will be re-doubled to reporting back to everyone who has reduce rural road trauma, and we’re engaged with us in recent months taking up your suggestions for about what we’ve heard, and how it more locally relevant road safety is making a diff erence to the way we approaches. plan, build and operate the network in We will be much more sensitive to the the regions. environmental impacts of our projects, The fi rst State of the Roads report will and have set a bold target to double be produced in 2018, focusing on the the amount of tyre rubber we recycle condition of roads and bridges. It will in roads for a start. be expanded in future years to include We’ve heard consistently the need to roadside vegetation, drainage, bike better explain our work and involve paths, electrical and other important communities and industries in roadside infrastructure. operational decisions that aff ect you. As part of Transport for Victoria, we This is the fi rst of many constructive will be sharing the Country Roads conversations to come. feedback to help develop a long-term integrated regional transport strategy and action plan. For now, our focus is fi rmly on what we can do to better manage the 19,000 kilometres of arterial country roads.

32 / VICROADS CORPORATECOUNTRY ROADS PLAN 2017-2021 Connecting our communities / 33 Connecting our communities