Forty -Second Annual Report
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1955 VICTORIA COUNTRY ROADS BOARD FORTY -SECOND ANNUAL REPORT FOR YEAR ENDED 30TH JUNE, 1955 PRESENTED TO BOT:S. HOUSES 01<' PARLIAMENT PURSUA~'l' ro ACT No. 3662. ! Approximate Cost ot Rttport. ~ Preparat10tl1 nor. given. Printiug t l,OfJH l.:'oJ.Ue&J, ~770 ] By Autbomy : \V. J\L HOUSTON. c;OVERNMENT PRINTER. MELBOURNE. ;'i<o. 32.-[3s. 6d.i-l2648;55. Dual carriageway and channelization of Princes Highway through township of Dandenong. Cover.-A recently constructed pre-cast concrete bridge over Lightning Creek on tne Omeo Hignway. COUNTRY ROADS BOARD FORTY-SECOND ANNUAL REPORT, 1955 CONTENTS FINANCE~ Page Increase in revenue 7 fn&dequacy of funds for present works 9 Applications for funds 9 Receipts from motor registration fees, &c. 10 Commonwealth Aid Roads Act 1954 .. 10 I.nan moneys 11 Total works, allocation 11 MAIN ROADS- Allocation of funds 11 Apportionment of costs 11 Contributions by Municipal Councils 12 Particulars of works carried out 12 STATE HIGHWAYS- Restricted allocation of funds 18 Works carried out 18 TOURISTS' ROADS- Allocation of funds 27 Works carried out 27 J<'ORESTS RoADS- Funds allocated 29 Works carried out 29 UNCLASSIFIED ROADS- Applications from Councils for grants 29 Amounts allotted 29 Major works cal'ried out 29 BRIDGES- Board's financial resources immfficient 32 Construction-completed or in progress 32 Metropolitan bridges as Country bridges .. 33 J!'LOOD AND RGSH FIRE DAMAGE-- Most seriously affected areas 43 Applications received and grants made 43 WORKS FOR OTiillR AuTHORITms Department of Public Works 43 Forests Commission of Victoria 43 Geelong Waterworks and Sewerage Trust 43 Housing Commission, Victoria 44 Melbourne and Metropolitan Boar(l of Work>< 44 Soldier Settlement Commission 44 State Electricity Commission of Yictoria 44 State Rivers and Water Supply Commission 44 Victorian Inland Meat Authoritv 44 Commonwealth Department of Works 44 Portland Harbour Trust (Cape Grant project) 44 SOLDIER SETTLEli-IENT ESTATE R-OADS Expenditure during 1954-55 Expenditure since inception of scheme Municipalities involved DECENTRALIZATION- Divisional organization-progress 4i ROADMAKING MATERIALS- Action by Divisions to ensure supplies CoUNTRY ROADS BOARD FUND- Motor Registration Fees 50 RAILWAY LEVEL CROSSINGs Projects undertaken 51 Priority for completion of other projects 51 Proposal for construction of four-lane overpass at Clifton Hill 51 BUFFALO-WONNANGATTA EXPLORATION SURVEY- Exploration survey of country 51 6 REMOVAL OF ·BRICK HOUSE Page Method adopted, &c. 53 PHOTOGRAPHY- Illustration of Board's activities 55 Pictorial record of use of Bailey bridge 51) DISPLAYS AXD EXHIBITIONS- Engineering Exhibition and .!\'lotor Show 55 COXTROL OF HEAVY TRAFFIC- Issue of permits to vehicle operators 55 Restriction of loading on roads 55 TRAFFIC 0PFI'JNCES Changed conditions 56 Prosecutions and fines 56 Comparative figures and location of offences 57 COLLECTION OF FINES- Co-operation of Police 58 Summary of offences 58 TRAFFIC-LINE MARKING- Mileage and expenditllre 59 BITUMINOUS SURl!'ACING- Details of expenditure and mileage 59 ACTS AFFECTING THE BOARD- New legislation 60 CONFERENCE OF STATE ROAD AUTHORITIES Proceedings of Seventeenth Conference 60 Meeting of various committees 61 CONl!'ERENCE OF MUNICIPAl. ENGINEEiRS Ele\'enth Conference proceedings 61 STUDFJNTS' INSPECTION OF G.R..B. "WORKS Co-operation in arranging inspections 61 LIBRARY SERVICE- Assistance to staff 62 MISSIONS ABROAD OF OFFICERS Mr. F. West 62 Mr. H. H. Gray 62 EMl'LOYMENT- Labour force 63 ACCIDENTS TO EMPLOYEES 63 MoToR R.EGISTRA'riON- Details of vehicles registered 64 AccouNTs- Expenditure on road construction and maintenance 64 Expenrliture on works for other Depart,ments 65 STAFF- Appointments, resignations, and retirements 65 Royal Humane Society Award---Mr. D. Hewson 65 STAFF CHARITIES FuND 65 APPENDICES- Chief Engineer's report 67 Statements and receipts and payments 82 J<Jxpenditure on works for other Authorities 83 T.JOan liability 83 COUNTRY ROADS BOARD FORTY -SECOND ANNUAL REPORT Exhibition Building, Carlton, N.3, 1st December, 1955. The Honorable Sir Thomas Maltby, M.L.A .. -'tlinister of Publ?'c Works, Department of Pu,blic W arks, Melbourne, 0.2. SIR, In accordance with the requirements of Section 96 of the Country Roads Act 1928 (No. 3662) the Board has the honour to submit to you for presentation to "Parliament, a report of its proceedings for the year ended 30th June, 1955. FINANCE. Naturally, an increased amount was received from motor registration fees, due to the increasing number of vehicles using the roads in this State. Apart from this, the Board's funds were augmented from three other sources, providing about 25 per cent. additional increase in revenue, viz. :- (1) The increased share of the moneys derived from the petrol tax consequent upon the decision of the Commonwealth Government to distribute to the States an equivalent of 7d. per gallon on petrol {both excise and rmstoms) as from the 1st July, 1954, instead of 3~d. per gallon excise and 6d. per gallon customs as had operated immediately prior to that date. (2) The payment into the Country Roads Board Fund as from the lst July, 1954, of two-thirds of the additional registration fees payable under Section 8 of the J1otor Oar Act 1951, No. 5616. (3) The payment into the Country Roads Board Fund of the balance standing to the credit of the Transport Regulation Fund at the 30th June, 1955. Despite the additional amounts available to the Board from the above sources, the total sum at the Board's disposal was still quite inadequate to cover the cost of urgent and necessary works, and the Board was again obliged to limit the allocations for works, both under municipal supervision and under its own direct supervision. After providing for the minimum requirements for the maintenance of existing assets, the amount remaining was sufficient only for a small programme of reconstruction far short of requirements. While road traffic and heavy road transport are increasing rapidly without much restriction, road finance is not increasing commensurably. The net amount received by the Board from motor registration fees and fines and half the drivers' licence fees for the financial year, aft,er allowing for costs of collection, refunds, &c., was £4,829,100, an increase of £858,572 over the amount of £3,970,528 received from the same source during the financial year 1953-54. The receipts from petrol tax were £3,802,370, an increase of £1,060,762 over the previous year's receipts of £2,741,608. An amount of £34,009 Ss. lld. was received from fees charged for the use, by vehicles engaged in Interstate trade of roads in this State; but this amount. was held pending the outcome of legal proceedingR as to the validit.y of the le11islation. DEFICIENCIES Plate No. I.-Badly-failed section of Plate No. 2.-Broken edges of seal on Warracknabea!-Dimboola Road. South Gippsland Highway. Plate No. 3.-Transport on collapsed State Rivers and Water Supply Commission bridge in Kerang Shire. Plate No. 4.-Heavy transports on narrow bridge on Hume Highway at Kilmore, showing limited clearance. 9 While, however, there has been some increase in the receipts, the costs of road construction and maintenance are increasing much more rapidly, due to increase in costs coupled with increase in the volume and weight of heavy traffic using the State's road system. The total number of motor vehicles (i.e., cars, motor cycles, and trucks) registered on the 1st July, 1954, was 567,204. On the 30th June, 1955, this number had increased to 637,662. The increase in commercial vehicles in the same period was from 81,483 to 88,689. The increasing wear and tear on the roads is placing on the Board and the Municipal Councils a heavier financial burden, which is not by any means being met by the relatively small increase in the available funds. As has been stressed in earlier reports, the position is not likely to improve unless there is a very substantial increase in the Board's funds. In the circumstances, the Board is forced to continue with the uneconomical policy of patching and re-patching both roads and bridges in an endeavour to make them last a few years longer. (Plates Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4.) The Board's restricted financial position i::; unfortunate from another aspect, namely, that whilst more contractors are coming into the field for both road and bridge works the funds to finance extensive new works are not available. No bold or progressive policy can be formulated whilst so great a proportion of the available money must be devoted to the maintenance of existing assets. Something of the order 75 per cent. to 80 per cent. of the money is required for maintenance, so that progress with improvements is deplorably slow. During the financial year 1954-55 a total sum of £19,772,000 was applied for by the Municipal Councils and the Board's engineers for expenditure on both classified and unclassified roads, but notwithstanding the fact that the Board was satisfied that the applications were generally for urgent and necessary works, the full amount which could be allotted was £13,416,066 only, equivalent to 59 per cent. of the total applications. The actual road expenditure for the year, viz., £8,887,£06, equalled 69 per cent. of the allocation, and the Board is satisfied that the potential of both the Municipal Councils and the Board is such that a considerably higher rate of annual expenditure could be achieved if additional funds were available. This position lHtR remained unsatisfactory for some years, as the following table shows :- fi'hwnr.ial Year. £ £ 195051 11,568,000 fi, Ofifl. 000 1951-52 .. 15,544,000 7.6fl0.000 1952-53 .. 13,008,00() 7,419,000 1953--54 .