Road transport is an essential element of the Australian transport network

Transport in Australia

-Roads:Australia has the second highest level of car ownership in the world. It has three to four times more road per capita than Europe and seven to nine times more than Asia. Australia also has the third highest per capita rate of fuel consumption in the world. Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane are...

, and enabler of the Australian economy

Economy of Australia

The economy of Australia is a developed, modern market economy with a GDP of approximately US$1.23 trillion. In 2011, it was the 13th largest national economy by nominal GDP and the 17th largest measured by PPP adjusted GDP, representing about 1.7% of the World economy. Australia was also ranked...

. Australia relies heavily on road transport due to Australia's large area and low population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 in considerable parts of the country.

Another reason for the reliance upon roads is that the Australian rail network

Rail transport in Australia

Rail transport in Australia is a crucial aspect of the Australian transport network, and an enabler of the wider Australian economy. Rail in Australia is to a large extent state-based. The Australian rail network consists of a total of 41,461 km of track of three major gauges, of which...

 has not been sufficiently developed for a lot of the freight and passenger requirements in most areas of Australia. This has meant that goods that would otherwise be transported by rail are moved across Australia via road train

Road train

A road train or roadtrain is a trucking concept used in remote areas of Argentina, Australia, Mexico, the United States and Canada to move freight efficiently. The term "road train" is most often used in Australia. In the U.S. and Canada the terms "triples," "turnpike doubles" and "Rocky Mountain...

s. Almost every household owns at least one car

Čar

Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...

, and uses it most days.

Costs and Funding

Funding and responsibility for Australia's road network is split between the three levels of government; Federal, State and Local.
Because of long distances, low population densities, and widely separated major settlements, the costs of and funding for roads in Australia has been, historically, a major fiscal issue for all levels of government, especially Federal and State. The popular phrase 'the tyranny of distance', also the title of a famous historical work, captures the central role of transport in Australian policy, producing many conflicts. It was not until the Bland enquiry in Victoria that there was an attempt to outline the complex questions in economic theory and practice of determining and measuring road costs and their allocation. In 1978-80 the McDonell Enquiry reviewed road and rail freight transport in New South Wales and its affected cities and regions, (the 'hub' of the Australian freight transport system). It was set up because of the 'truckies' blockades and national disturbances which disrupted access to all mainland capitals. These were largely sparked by the levels of road taxes. This Enquiry developed the first comprehensive theoretical and measurement system for assessing and allocating road costs,. This system was subsequently applied more widely and then extended, with later studies, for the establishment of current national policy and principles.

The Federal government

Government of Australia

The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...

 provides funds under the AusLink

AusLink

AusLink was an Australian Government land transport funding program, established in June 2004 and administered by the Department of Transport and Regional Services. In 2009 it was replaced with the Nation Building Program under the Nation Building Program Act 2009...

 programme for several funding programs including:

• National Projects
• National Network Maintenance, essentially the National Highway
  National Highway (Australia)
  thumb|right|150px|The National Highway Shield in NSW, QLD, WA, NT & TAS.The National Highway is a system of roads connecting all the States and Territories of Australia, and is the major network of highways connecting Australia's largest and most important cities.The National Highway was...
  
  , comprising the main freeways and highways linking the major cities of Australia
• Roads to Recovery Programme - provides funding allocations to councils in each State or Territory.
• Black Spot
  Black Spot Program
  The Black Spot Program is a project of the Australian Government to eliminate safety problems on the roads. It was created in the early 1980s, abolished, then reestablished after a change of government in 1996....
  
   Programme (improvements to high accident risk spots)
• Strategic Regional Programme
• Innovation and Research
• Funding for Local Roads

Other highways and main roads linking regional centres are funded by the respective state governments. Local and minor roads are generally funded by the third tier of government, local councils.

The Business Council of Australia

Business Council of Australia

The Business Council of Australia represents the chief executives of approximately 100 large Australian corporations. It was formed in 1983 by the merger of the Business Roundtable - a spin-off of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia - and the Australian Industry Development...

 in its Infrastructure Action Plan, estimated that in 2004, road infrastructure was under funded by A$10 billion.

Roads and highways

Different standards of roads are generally called by various names. With wide variations in population across the nation, the name of a road does not always reflect the construction or capacity of a particular road.

Freeways, motorways, expressways and tollways

Freeways are major roads with more than one lane of traffic in each direction designed for higher speed operation. They have barriers or wide median strips separating traffic travelling in opposite directions, and grade-separated intersections without roundabouts or traffic lights in the main route. Some toll road

Toll road

A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...

s are called motorways or tollways to avoid perceived difficulties with charging people to use a freeway. Most Australian capital cities have one or more freeways across, past, or leading to them.

The Southern Expressway

Southern Expressway

The Southern Expressway is the world's longest reversible one way freeway. Originally proposed as 'Noarlunga Freeway', it was built as a corridor to relieve heavy traffic from the major arterial, Main South Road, in Adelaide's south. The expressway was built in two stages — the first...

 in southern Adelaide

Adelaide

Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...

 is a single carriageway of a freeway, and operates in one direction at a time, carrying traffic in the direction most in demand. It is closed to change direction twelve times per week (not Friday or Sunday nights). This is the only road in Australia which operates like this. When limited-access highways began to be built in Sydney in the 1950s, beginning with the Cahill Expressway

Cahill Expressway

The Cahill Expressway is the first true freeway constructed in Sydney, Australia. It starts from the Eastern Distributor and Cross City Tunnel in Woolloomooloo, and runs through a series of sunken cuttings and tunnels between the Royal Botanical Gardens and The Domain...

, they were provisionally named expressways, but in the 1960s Australian transport ministers agreed that they be called freeways. The Cahill Expressway has kept its original name, possibly because some of it is substandard.

Highways

There is an Australian national highway network

National Highway (Australia)

thumb|right|150px|The National Highway Shield in NSW, QLD, WA, NT & TAS.The National Highway is a system of roads connecting all the States and Territories of Australia, and is the major network of highways connecting Australia's largest and most important cities.The National Highway was...

 linking the capital cities of each state and other major cities and towns. The national highway network is PART financed by the Australian Federal Government

Government of Australia

The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...

 with the bulk of funding coming from the individual states. Many argue that more needs to be spent on maintenance and upgrading the network..

Each Australian state government maintains their own network of roads connecting most of the towns in the state. Highways and major roads include Metroad

Metroad

Metroads are the primary road routes serving the Sydney and Brisbane metropolitan areas in Australia. The Metroads form a network of radial and circumferential routes throughout the city, lengths of some of which are of freeway grade.-History:...

s, National Routes, State Routes and routes numbered according to the Alphanumeric Route Numbering System.

Some highways in remote areas of Australia are not sealed

Pavement (material)

Road surface or pavement is the durable surface material laid down on an area intended to sustain vehicular or foot traffic, such as a road or walkway. In the past cobblestones and granite setts were extensively used, but these surfaces have mostly been replaced by asphalt or concrete. Such...

 for high traffic volumes and are not suitable for the whole range of weather conditions. Following heavy rains they may be closed to traffic.

Minor roads

Local governments

Local government in Australia

Local government in Australia is the third tier of government, administered by the states and territories which in turn are beneath the Commonwealth or federal tier. Unlike New Zealand, the US or the UK, there is only one level of local government in all states, with no distinction such as...

 maintain the vast majority of minor roads in rural areas and streets in towns and suburbs.

Urban

Urban minor roads in Australia are generally sealed, have a 50 km/h speed limit and most are illuminated at night by street lighting.

Rural

Many rural roads are not sealed but are built with a gravel base or simply graded clear and maintained from the available earth.

Outback

Driving on minor outback

Outback

The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...

 roads off a sealed road can be dangerous, and motorists are generally advised to take precautions such as:

• seek local advice
• ensure that someone is aware of your travel plans
• if you break down, stay with your vehicle
• be aware of animals such as kangaroos
  KangaROOS
  KangaROOS are an American brand of sneaker originally produced from 1979 through the 1980s, with a later revival that continues in present. They were notable for having a small zippered pocket on the side of the shoe, large enough for a small amount of loose change, keys, or more recently,...
  
  , especially at night
• never travel without an adequate supply of drinking water

Failure to observe these precautions can result in death.

Ferries

The Spirit of Tasmania is a service operated by TT-Line with two ocean-going ferries providing a "road" link between Tasmania and the mainland. There is also a Searoad ferry service across the opening of Port Phillip

Port Phillip

Port Phillip Port Phillip Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers and the shore stretches roughly . Although it is extremely shallow for...

 connecting Sorrento

Sorrento, Victoria

Sorrento is a township in Victoria, Australia, located on the shores of Port Phillip on the Mornington Peninsula, about one and a half hours south of Melbourne...

 and Queenscliff

Queenscliff, Victoria

Queenscliff is a small town on the Bellarine Peninsula in southern Victoria, Australia, south of Swan Bay at the entrance to Port Phillip. It is the administrative centre for the Borough of Queenscliffe...

. Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is southwest of Adelaide at the entrance of Gulf St Vincent. Its closest point to the mainland is off Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia. The island is long...

 is connected to Cape Jervis

Cape Jervis, South Australia

Cape Jervis is a town at the southwestern tip of Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia, approximately 108 km south of Adelaide. The population is approximately 300 people and growing rapidly, with a new estate situated behind the main town...

 by the SeaLink

Kangaroo Island SeaLink

Kangaroo Island SeaLink is a privately owned South Australian ferry company and tour operator which has plied the crossing from mainland South Australia to Kangaroo Island since 1989. From 1989 to 1994, Kangaroo Island Sealink was owned by the Malaysian company MBF. In 1994 the company was sold to...

 service.

Many of the road crossings

Murray River crossings

The Murray River in south-eastern Australia has been a significant barrier to land-based travel and trade. This article lists and briefly describes all of the recognised crossing points. Many of these had also developed as river ports for transport of goods along the Murray...

 over the lower Murray River

Murray River

The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...

 are provided by government-operated cable ferries.

Economic regulation

Although trucks had played important local carriage tasks since their introduction to Australia, it was not until the 1970s that improved highways and larger trucks allowed the rapid development of long haul operations and intense competition with rail transport. This situation led to the industry disturbances (see section Costs and funding above) on the causes of which the Commission of Enquiry into the NSW freight industry reported. The Enquiry made a series of recommendations for reform involving economic principles, legal provisions, financing, economic regulation and safe operating conditions but found that effective action could not be taken at the State level. It would require re-examination of the central issue of freedom of interstate transport as embodied in Section 92 of the Australian Constitution, and the development of appropriate national responses. With this basis, the National Freight Inquiry, completed a comprehensive survey of the national industry with major proposals. This resulted in long running development of new governance arrangements and policy for economic regulation of both road and rail freight transport. As a result, following the cooperative Federalism initiative of the 1990s, these matters are the responsibility of the National Transport Commission http://www.ntc.gov.au within the general oversight of the Australian Transport Council of Ministers http://www.atcouncil.gov.au.

Operating regulation

Vehicles in Australia are right-hand drive, and vehicles travel on the left side of the road. The laws for all levels of government, have been mostly harmonised

Australian Road Rules

The Australian Road Rules are a set of model road rules developed by the National Road Transport Commission which form the platform for State and Territory road rules across Australia...

 so that drivers do not need to learn different rules as they cross state borders. The usual speed limits

Speed limits in Australia

Speed limits in Australia range from Shared Zones to . Speed limit signage is in km/h since metrication on 1 July 1974. All speed limits are multiples of 10 km/h – the last digit in all speed signs is zero...

 are 100 km/h outside of urban areas (110 km/h on some roads where signposted). Major routes in built up areas are 80 km/h and 60 km/h, with streets generally limited to 50 km/h, often not separately signposted. Until the end of 2006, major highways in the Northern Territory

Northern Territory

The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...

 had no speed limit, but now the maximum speed there is 130 km/h where signposted on the Stuart

Stuart Highway

The Stuart Highway is one of Australia's major highways. It is a segment of Australia's Highway 1 extending from Darwin, Northern Territory, in the north, via Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, to Port Augusta, South Australia, in the south—a distance of...

, Barkly

Barkly Highway

The Barkly Highway is a national highway of both Queensland and the Northern Territory.-Description:It runs westward from Cloncurry and the junctions of the Flinders and Landsborough highways to the junction with the Stuart Highway north of Tennant Creek...

, Victoria

Victoria Highway

The Victoria Highway is a 524 kilometre highway linking the Great Northern Highway in Western Australia with the Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory. It is a part of the Perth - Darwin National Highway link. It is signed as National Highway 1 and is also a part of the Highway 1 network. It is...

 and Arnhem

Arnhem Highway

The Arnhem Highway is a 230 kilometre highway in the Northern Territory of Australia. It links the mining town of Jabiru, in Kakadu National Park, to the Stuart Highway 35 kilometres south of Darwin....

 Highways, with a default of 110 km/h on all other rural roads where not otherwise signposted.

Victoria's Road Rules are to be updated and renewed on 1 Nov 2009 see www.vicroads.vic.gov.au

Speed limits are enforced with mobile and fixed cameras as well as mobile radar gun

Radar gun

A radar speed gun is a small doppler radar unit used to measure the speed of moving objects, including vehicles, pitched baseballs, runners and other moving objects. Radar speed guns may be hand-held, vehicle-mounted or static...

s operated by police

Police

The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...

 and State Road Authorities such as VicRoads. Heavy transport operators must record their driving time in a log book and take regular rest periods and are limited in how long they can drive without longer sleeping time.

If two roads with two lanes each way meet at a roundabout

Roundabout

A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...

, the roundabout is marked with two lanes as well. Traffic turning left must use the left lane, and traffic turning right must approach in and use the right lane, travelling clockwise around the island in the centre. Traffic going straight through may generally use either lane. Vehicles must indicate their intended direction when approaching the roundabout, and indicate left when passing the exit before the one they intend to leave on. Vehicles entering the roundabout must give way to vehicles already on it.

Licensing

Typically, the first stage of licensing is gaining a learners permit. The minimum age to get this in most states is 16, and it requires:

• Special L plates to be displayed, typically displaying a black L on a yellow background
• Reduced blood alcohol limits compared to unrestricted drivers (acceptable BAC varies by state)
• A fully licensed driver to be in the car with the learner at all times, who must also be under the legal alcohol limit (0.05 BAC in most states)
• Some states will impose maximum speeds for learner drivers (for instance, New South Wales learners are limited to 80 km/h)

After a set period of time (usually between three and twelve months), and often a certain number of hours practice, the learner driver is eligible to go for their licence. In most states, there's also an age limit (which ranges from 16 ½ to 18, depending on state). In most states, including NSW, QLD, WA, Tas and ACT, the limit is 17. When a new driver gets their licence (which typically involves a practical driving test and a computerised test involving a hazard perception section and possibly some multiple choice questions), they will get a restricted licence known as a probationary licence or provisional licence, which typically lasts for up to three years. These drivers must display special plates (typically with a White P on a Red background, but the inverse applies in New South Wales). This has earned them the name P Platers. Some restrictions placed on these drivers include (dependent on state):

• Reduced blood alcohol limits compared to unrestricted drivers (acceptable BAC varies by state).
• Automatic transmission only if licence test taken in an automatic vehicle.
• Limits on power/performance of cars (certain states only).
• Fewer demerit points to be accrued before licence is suspended.
• Speed limitations (certain states only).

Recently, some states have installed a two-stage probationary licensing system, where the first year of a licence has extra restrictions (and often a different coloured plate) to the later years.

Special licences exist for:

• Cars (which typically enables people to drive a car with up to 12 seats, and up to 4.5 tonnes GVM
  Gross vehicle mass
  A Gross Vehicle Mass is the maximum allowable total mass of a fully loaded motor vehicle, consisting of the tare mass plus the load...
  
  )
• Light Rigid trucks and buses
• Medium Rigid trucks and buses
• Heavy Rigid trucks
• Heavy Combination trucks
• Multi Combination trucks (B-doubles and road trains)
• Motorcycles

Heavy vehicle class licences require drivers to have experience at lighter licence classes. In some states, a car licence is acceptable for motorcycles with limited engine capacity.

Cars

Three manufacturers currently build cars in Australia. They are all subsidiaries of foreign companies, but manufacture models designed specifically for the Australian market. They are:

• Ford
  Ford Australia
  Ford Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Ford Motor Company and was founded in Geelong, Victoria, in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. At that time, Ford Canada was a separate company from Ford USA...
  
  : Falcon
  Ford Falcon (Australia)
  The Ford Falcon is a full-size car which has been manufactured by Ford Australia since 1960. Each model from the XA series of 1972 onward has been designed, developed and built in Australia and/or New Zealand, following the phasing out of the American Falcon of 1960–71 which had been re-engineered...
  
   and Territory
  Ford Territory
  The Ford Territory is a crossover SUV built by Ford Australia and based on the EA169 platform of the Ford BA Falcon. It was released in April 2004. Its code name inside Ford was E265. It won the 2004 Wheels Car of the Year award, the reviewers praising car-like handling and practicality as reasons...
  
  
• Holden
  Holden
  GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
  
  : Commodore
  Holden Commodore
  The Holden Commodore is an automobile manufactured since 1978 by the Holden subsidiary of General Motors in Australia, and, formerly, in New Zealand. In the mid-1970s, Holden established proposals to replace the long-serving Kingswood nameplate with a smaller, Opel-based model...
  
  , Statesman/Caprice
• Toyota
  Toyota Australia
  Toyota Motor Corporation Australia, or Toyota Australia, is a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, which is based in Japan. TMCA markets Toyota products and manages motorsport, advertising and business operations for Toyota Motor Corporation in Australia...
  
  : Camry
  Toyota Camry
  The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
  
   and Aurion
  Toyota Aurion
  The Toyota Aurion is a mid-size car produced by Toyota in Australia and parts of Asia since 2006. The Aurion, given the model designation XV40 is essentially a Toyota Camry with revised front- and rear-end treatment, along with changes to the interior...
  
  

These are all relatively large cars developed specifically for Australians. Smaller cars sold in Australia are all imported, as are four-wheel drive

Four-wheel drive

Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...

s.

There are also several electric car manufacturers in Australia that use imported chassis and bodies to assemble electric vehicles. Many of them also convert 2nd hand vehicles to electric. Some of these include:

• Blade Electric Vehicles: Electron
• Thunderbolt

Electric Vehicles in Australia are served by the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA), a non-profit association founded in 1973, composed of individuals and organizations interested in the development, manufacture, sale or use of Electric Vehicles and their components in Australia.

The distance travelled by car in Australia is amongst the highest in the world, behind the US and Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. In 2003, the average distance travelled per person by car was 12,730 km.

Trucks

Most long-haul road freight is carried on B-double semi-trailer

Semi-trailer truck

A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or articulated truck or articulated lorry, is an articulated vehicle consisting of a towing engine , and a semi-trailer A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) articulated truck...

s. These trucks typically have a total of 9 axles and two articulation

Articulated vehicle

An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivoting joint in its construction, allowing the vehicle to turn more sharply. There are many kinds of articulated vehicles, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains...

 points . Normal semi- trailers usually have a tri-axle trailer

Semi-trailer

A semi-trailer is a trailer without a front axle. A large proportion of its weight is supported by a road tractor, a detachable front axle assembly known as a dolly, or the tail of another trailer...

 towed by a twin-drive prime mover. In the remote areas of the north and west , three- and four-trailer road train

Road train

A road train or roadtrain is a trucking concept used in remote areas of Argentina, Australia, Mexico, the United States and Canada to move freight efficiently. The term "road train" is most often used in Australia. In the U.S. and Canada the terms "triples," "turnpike doubles" and "Rocky Mountain...

s are used for general freight, fuel, livestock and mineral ores. Two-trailer road trains are allowed closer in to populated areas, especially for bulk grain and general freight.

From July 2007, the Federal and State governments approved B-triple trucks that are allowed only to operate on a designated network of roads . A B-Triple is said to carry the load of five semi-trailers. B-Triples are set up differently to conventional road trains. The front of their first trailer is supported by the turntable on the prime mover. The second and third trailers are supported by turntables on the trailers in front of them. As a result, B-Triples are much more stable than road trains and handle exceptionally well.

The largest road transport companies are Toll Holdings

Toll Holdings

TOLL , properly TOLL Holdings Limited, is Australia's largest transport company, based in Melbourne, Victoria. The company has operations in road, rail, sea and air in 55 countries....

 and Linfox

Linfox

Linfox is a logistics and supply chain company established in Australia by Lindsay Fox in 1956. The company started with one truck operated by Fox. With the acquisition of Armaguard from Mayne Logistics in 2003 and FCL in 2006, it is now the largest privately owned supply chain solutions company in...

, but there are many others, including owner-drivers with only their own truck.

Buses

Main category: Bus transport in Australia

Buses in Australia provide a variety of services, generally in one or more of the following categories:

• route services, following a fixed route and a published timetable, operated by government or private companies
• school services, transporting students to and from school, often under a government-subsidised scheme
• long distance services, providing intrastate and interstate travel between major towns and cities
• tourist services, operating one-day and extended tours to popular destinations
• charter services, offering buses for hire to transport like-minded people to a chosen destination
• shuttle services, providing point-to-point transport, e.g. airport to hotels
• private vehicles, maintained by companies, schools, churches or other organisations to transport their members.

Many aspects of the bus industry are heavily controlled by government. These controls may include age and condition of the bus, driver licensing and working hours, fare structure, routes and frequency of services.

Trams

Trams were used in most Australian cities until the 1970s. The Melbourne Tram

Trams in Melbourne

The Melbourne tramway network is a major form of public transport in Melbourne, the capital city of the state of Victoria, Australia. , the network consisted of of track, 487 trams, 28 routes, and 1,773 tram stops. It was therefore the largest urban tramway network in the world, ahead of the...

 system remains an integral part of inner city commuting. Their cars intersect with others and large volumes of commuters have ready access to this form of transport. The Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

 system is the largest in the world. Tram and Light Rail

Light rail

Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...

 systems are being reintroduced to some cities, such as Metro Light Rail

Metro Light Rail

The Metro Light Rail is the only currently operating light rail line in Sydney. The line opened on 31 August 1997, mostly along the route of an unused goods railway line, to serve the redeveloped inner-city areas of Darling Harbour, Ultimo and Pyrmont, and was extended in 2000 to serve some of...

 in Sydney. The only remaining tram route in Adelaide

Adelaide

Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...

 is the Glenelg Tram

Glenelg Tram

The Glenelg Tram is a route from the centre of Adelaide, South Australia to the beach-side suburb of Glenelg. It is Adelaide's only remaining tramway, running at approximately 15-minute intervals, and is part of the integrated Adelaide Metro public transport network...

, which was extended through the CBD in 2007 and again in 2009.

Bicycles

Main category: Cycling in Australia

In the late-19th and early-20th centuries - the bicycle was used extensively in the outback

Outback

The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...

 and countryside of Australia as an economical means of transport. In the urban areas the bicycle found wide usage where workers were living in reasonable proximity to their places of work - this can be seen in the extent of bicycle racks at Midland Railway Workshops

Midland Railway Workshops

The Midland Railway Workshops in Midland, Western Australia were the main workshops for the Western Australian Government Railways for over 80 years.-History:...

 for example.

Currently bicycles are used by a minority of the population in most Australian cities, however some youths or unlicensed drivers use them for shorter distances. They are used for recreation, exercise and commuting. Most cities have developed bicycle usage strategies, while some, such as Canberra

Canberra

Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...

  and Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

 have extensively promoted bicycle usage and constructed an extensive network of cycleways that can be used by cyclists to travel large distances across the city.
The recreational use of bicycles has been supported by local and state governments producing publications and websites that encourage recreational and more lately utility usage. Considerable numbers of tourists and enthusiasts utilise road and off-road routes that have been marked or signed for bicycle tours. Good examples are the Mawson Trail

Mawson Trail

The Mawson Trail is a long-distance cycling trail in South Australia starting just east of Adelaide in the Adelaide Hills and extending to the Outback town of Blinman in the Flinders Ranges. The Mawson Trail is the ideal option for mountain bikers wanting to travel through South Australia's...

 in South Australia and the Munda Biddi Trail

Munda Biddi Trail

Munda Biddi Trail is a 900 km long distance bicycle trail in Western Australia. "Munda Biddi" means 'path through the forest' in the Noongar language....

 in Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

.

Safety

Overall, road transport safety in Australia is of a relatively moderate to high standard. Road quality, safety barrier and features is of a moderate level in urban areas and of a high standard on new roads, however in regional areas and some major highways, road quality is sometimes severely affected by lack of funding and maintenance. Speed is generally limited to around 100 km/h, except in the Northern Territory where unlimited speeds are allowed.

Vehicles are generally moderately safe. Many vehicle users cannot afford newer vehicles and as a result, the second-hand car market is quite large. There are many older model vehicles and while they require a Road Worthy Certificate (RWC) to ensure basic operation is sound, only newer vehicles have safety features such as crumple zones, air bags, etc. Seat belt usage is generally very high and it is frowned upon in the community to go without a seatbelt.

Several efforts have been at educating the mass population about road safety, the most prominent and successful being the Victorian

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

 state Transport Accident Commission

Transport Accident Commission

The Transport Accident Commission is the statutory insurer of third-party personal liability for road accidents in the State of Victoria. It was established under the Transport Accident Act 1986....

 (TAC) road safety advertisements, began in the late 1980s in print and television, which often depicted horrific and graphic road accidents initiated by various causes such as speed, alcohol and drug use, distraction, fatigue and many others. The TAC ads were very effective and reduced the road toll drastically. The method was subsequently adopted elsewhere in Australia and the world.

Speed limits have been progressively reduced in urban streets, from 60 km/h to 50 km/h and more recently, to 40 km/h near schools, built up areas and shopping strips. This is to ensure safer stopping distances to minimise/reduce pedestrian injuries and casualties.

Recent incidents

Over the Christmas holiday period in 2009, over 50 people were killed on roads around Australia.

Notable multiple fatality incidents

• 1989 - Kempsey and Grafton bus crashes, 55 dead
• 1995-2009 - 400 died on pacific highway in this period
• 2006
  • 12 April - WA, Manjimup - 3 dead
  • September - VIC, Donald - 7 dead - head-on collision between a car and a van at a poor-quality intersection
• 2007
  • 23 March - VIC, Burnley Tunnel - 3 dead, 3 injured - 10 car pile-up, 400 evacuated from tunnel
  • 26 April - SA, Myponga, Adelaide - 5 deaths - 2 vehicles collided
  • December - VIC, Melbourne - 4 dead
• 2008
  • 7 March - WA, Great Northern Highway, 3 dead
• 2009
  • 21 May - TAS, New Norfolk - 3 deaths - car became airborn and collided with a tree
  • 27 August - NSW, Central Coast - 3 dead, 1 injured
  • 28 August - NSW, Narrabri - 4 dead, 5 injured - 3 cars and a caravan
  • 28 December - NSW, near Batemans Bay - 3 deaths, 6 injuries - petrol tanker and 3 cars on the Princess Highway
• 2010
  • 14 January - QLD, Yarrol, near Monto - 2 dead, 1 injured - collision between a car and a ute
  • 17 January - VIC, Mill Park, Melbourne - 5 dead, 1 injured - 1 car split a tree in half
  • 27 January - SA, Mt. Compass - 3 dead, 1 car hit a tree
  • 28 January - VIC, North of Warnambool - 2 dead, 4 injured
• 2011
  • 30 March - VIC, Crib Point - 2 dead, 3 injured
  • 15 June - SA, Padthaway - 4 dead, 3 injured - three children killed aged one, two and nine

Road naming

Each state has independent systems for the naming of roads.
Roads in New South Wales are named in accordance with section 162 of The Roads Act 1993. Australian Standards AS 1742.5 - 1986 and AS 4212 - 1994 provide a list of road suffixes (such as Alley, Circle, Mall, Street) which are routinely accepted by the Geographical Names Board.

Authorities

The Australian commonwealth government has had a number of statutory authorities relative to roads including: -

• Australian Transport Council http://www.atcouncil.gov.au
• National Transport Commission http://www.ntc.gov.au

State governments have been co-ordinated through: -

• National Association of Australian State Road Authorities.

In victoria the state road authority is the Roads Corporation better known as VicRoads and in New South Wales it is known as the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA).

Further reading

• Documents, Australian Transport Council http://www.atc.gov.au/documents
• National Association of Australian State Road Authorities (1987) Bush track to highway : 200 years of Australian roads Sydney. ISBN 0855882077