Road Management

Providing Reliable and Efficient Movement of People and Goods

Government Goal

Results based service delivery

Aim

Optimise real-time traffic management of the network, provide traveller information, improve asset management planning and support service delivery.

About the Program

The program includes activities associated with the:

• The management and operation of the road network
• Traffic Operations Centre, road safety support, Heavy Vehicle Services, Network Operations and Planning and Technical Services

Key Performance Indicators

Status	Level Of Achievement
% Community satisfaction	87%
% Road network permitted for use by heavy vehicles B-Double -27.5m	97%
% Network configuration bridges strength	92%

Looking Ahead

• Deploy new Road Network Operations Centre
• Complete planning for construction of two-lane second carriageway for four kilometres on Reid Highway between Altone Road and West Swan Road
• Undertake planning and project development for Bunbury Outer Ring Road
• Commence project development for Leach Highway – upgrade of High Street between Carrington Street and Stirling Highway
• Undertake planning and project development for construction of a southbound on-ramp to Kwinana Freeway from Manning Road.

Network Operations Achievements

Traffic Congestion Management Program

The Traffic Congestion Management Program was put in place to target low-cost, high-impact initiatives to get the most out of existing infrastructure while improving journey times for Perth road users. Many initiatives over the past 12 months made noticeable improvement to traffic flow. Initiatives include:

• Intersection upgrades at known congested hotspots including Graham Farmer Freeway and East Parade, Marmion Avenue and Hepburn Avenue, Marmion Avenue and Whitfords Avenue and Tonkin Highway and Kelvin Road
• Further roll-out of new merge lines at all highway on-ramps with accompanying driver education campaign to help improve driver behaviour enabling more effective merging. Refer to Merging is Childs Play case study
• Innovative approaches, at more than 40 intersections, with traffic signals—including rolling out more flashing yellow ‘caution’ lights, pedestrian countdown timers and right-turn filtering
• Expansion of Incident Response Service to seven days and patrolling additional roads. Refer to Expansion of Incident Response Service Case Study

Addinsight Pilot Project

We are installing 100 Bluetooth sensors to collect traffic data on the road network by using a system developed by our South Australian colleagues called ‘Addinsight’. This new and emerging technology, which is cheaper and less intrusive than existing technology, collects traffic data on the road network. The Bluetooth devices are placed at signalised intersections and freeway infrastructure to anonymously sense Bluetooth-enabled devices in passing vehicles within range. We will use this information to monitor travel time, identify excessive delays and prioritise problem sites and low-performance areas along a route. It will provide a valuable additional source of data for both historical network performance analysis and real-time operations. In the future, the system also has the capability to broadcast information to road users via an app creating a virtual Variable Message Sign.

Traffic Signal Timing Review Project

Even slight changes to signal timings can have significant benefits. Traffic signals require regular adjustment to stay up to date with changing traffic conditions and customer travel patterns. Over the past 12 months we have worked to optimise traffic signal timings at more than 400 sites on 23 routes across the metropolitan area, showing improvements to journey times along the routes despite increases in traffic demands. This year, the Traffic Signal Timing Improvement Project has achieved up to 14 per cent improvement on routes such as Great Eastern Highway eastbound from Farrall Road to Kalamunda Road in the PM peak.

Travel Time on Variable Message Signs

Travel time information will be published for road users on nine electronic freeway message signs on Kwinana and Mitchell Freeways. This information will assist road users in making informed on-route travel choices especially during busy times which helps to manage congestion and reduce driver frustration. The freeway travel-times are estimated using real-time traffic data from vehicle detection sensors embedded within the road surface. The information will show the estimated time in current traffic conditions that it will take to travel along the freeway to selected exit ramps.

Incident Management

Managing incidents is a key function in providing a safe and efficient road network for our customers. Traffic incidents and unwanted debris can cause congestion at any time of the day. Demand on existing emergency services to aid in managing these incidents has grown. Our Incident Response Service provides quick clearance solutions to help keep traffic moving by safely reinstating roads to normal conditions as quickly as possible after an incident. Following is a summary of incidents from across the state over the past 12 months. For more information on the expanded metropolitan incident management service refer to the case study

Nature of incident	Goldfields– Esperance	Great Southern	Kimberley	Metro	Mid West–Gascoyne	Pilbara	South West	Wheatbelt	Total
Road Crash	13	22	3	1,495	31	18	81	52	1,751
Breakdown/Tow Away	3	3	2	1,336	3	9	4	8	1,368
Debris/Trees/Lost Loads	4	36	2	1,062	7	5	49	26	1,191
Flooding	20	16	18	37	21	31	4	19	166
Public Utilities (gas, water, power)	0	0	2	109	0	0	1	2	114
Bushfire	2	3	21	31	1	14	13	7	92
Animal/Livestock	2	6	1	58	0	9	3	3	82
Hazmat (including spills)	1	1	0	50	1	0	4	1	58
Vehicle Fire	0	4	0	36	3	5	3	1	52

Heavy Vehicle Achievements

In Western Australia road transport is one of the key factors behind the success of the resources and agricultural sectors which are major contributors to the nation’s economy. As a state, we export 43 per cent of the nation’s exports by value and 60 per cent by weight. Both sectors require large volume, long distance transport to support production and to export production outputs. The remote and long distance nature of our freight task means specific transport challenges arise due to vast distances, small population, climatic extremes and demanding road geometry. The use of innovation, data and technology is essential to ensure our economy continues to grow and contributes to the nation’s prosperity.

Our challenge is to assist facilitation of trade through:

• Understanding global end-to-end supply chain trends
• Identifying and resolving first and last mile issues
• Reviewing legislation to enable government to become more agile and responsive
• Working closely with the transport industry and academia to embrace technology and provide a safe, competitive and productive freight environment
• Ensuring that we are providing safe heavy vehicle access, which takes into consideration all road users while ensuring asset sustainability
• Vehicles in excess of 19 metres long, 4.3 metres high, 2.5 metres wide or greater than 42.5 tonnes gross mass are classed as Restricted Access Vehicles (RAV). We regulate RAV access to the State Road Network via a system of notices and permits, and are developing and implementing measures to improve efficiency, road safety, community amenity and the preservation of road infrastructure. Following are initiatives progressed over the past 12 months.

Efficient Movement of Freight, Road Safety and Protection of the Road Asset

The RAV Network Access Strategy has been developed in consultation with our colleagues at Department of Transport and the Western Australian Local Government Association. The RAV Network Access Strategy aims to deliver Strategic Road Freight Networks which will enable asset owners to focus limited maintenance funds to ensure the bulk of road freight movements are using roads that are fit for purpose. The State Road Network will be the primary freight route, with agreed local government roads forming the secondary freight network. We have been consulting with local governments across the state via our Regional Roads Group Forums. The long-term goal is for all roads forming part of the Strategic Road Freight Network to be upgraded to accommodate at least of RAV Network 7 or 36.5 metre long combinations.

Exploring Heavy Vehicle Technology

A trial of 36.5 metre long road train access was conducted in collaboration with the City of Kwinana from April 2016 to May 2017 to improve heavy vehicle access to Kwinana Industrial Area. Technology was used to monitor heavy vehicle movements and to trial a proof of concept for road maintenance contributions, using distance location data from in vehicle devices. During the trial, using 36.5 metre road trains for the transport task meant there was a reduction of up to 50 per cent in heavy vehicle movements, resulting in improved safety, efficiency and productivity. The maintenance contribution provided an understanding of the mechanisms and implications of administering a maintenance contribution scheme in a local government context and tested industry support and willingness to pay a road maintenance contribution where there is a productivity saving because of improved access. The learning, testing of assumptions and collection of road data generated through this trial will inform future work in the development of a sustainable model for maintenance contributions on state and local government roads.

Smart plate initiative

In December 2016, Main Roads in collaboration with Department of Transport (DoT), the Cisco Internet of Everything Innovation Centre, Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University and the University of Western Australia conducted a Heavy Vehicle Services hackathon over a two-week period. The event brought together nine teams from the four universities to research the viability of integrating the Global Navigation Satellite System and a mobile network enabled, self-powered devices into a heavy vehicle number plate and to provide a concept design. This ‘SmartPlate’ concept is a world first and will help to position Western Australia at the forefront of using technology to deliver safety-driven access and productivity initiatives. Using technology and approaches like this we will continue to work collaboratively with industry and other partners to deliver a range of innovative solutions aimed at increasing the safety, access and productivity of the heavy vehicle industry.

Planning and Technical Achievements

Traffic Speed Deflectometer

New technology will enable us to undertake a snapshot of the condition of the entire road network, including strength, as an essential baseline for the new generation of network-wide maintenance contracts. In March 2017 we entered into a three-year arrangement with ARRB Group Ltd utilising recently acquired Danish technology to collect strength plus all other road condition data across the entire State Road Network. This technology has been used successfully in Europe and for approximately three years in Queensland, New South Wales and New Zealand.

Road agencies in Australia have used automated road condition data collection systems for almost two decades. Existing technology allowed us to capture rutting, roughness, texture, cracking and video data in a single vehicle travelling at the posted speed limit. However, the assessment of strength of the pavement, known as Falling Weight Deflection, had been limited to manual, stationary, point-based testing. This testing was slow, costly and required significant traffic management therefore data collection was only on a small sample of our network.

Armadale Road to North Lake Road Bridge

Over the past three years our planning team has undertaken detailed planning and traffic assessments to find options for a link between Armadale and North Lake Road, bypassing the traffic congestion in the Cockburn Central area. The recent announcement of funding for the Armadale Road to North Lake Road Bridge project is the culmination of this work, designed to deliver an effective solution supporting a world-class, safe, reliable and sustainable road-based transport system.

We undertook an assessment of the requirements for the transport and road network in the area, in close collaboration with stakeholders. This assessment identified and confirmed a new alignment was the preferred option. We then moved to the next stage developing a detailed concept for the new alignment. Our team considered a wide range of issues, including property impacts, access, drainage requirements and service impacts, and undertook consultation with key stakeholders including the City of Cockburn. The concept included innovative duck-and-dive grade separations with roundabouts at the two major intersections along the route. Early in 2017, the project was allocated funding and has now moved to the project development phase which will seek the required project approvals and clearances for construction to commence in 2019. For more information and the status of the project go to our website.