Providing Reliable and Efficient Movement of People and Goods

Creation of Road Network Operations Centre

From mid-2018, a new state-of-the-art Road Network Operations Centre (RNOC) will replace and enhance the Northbridge Traffic Operations Centre, bringing together primary teams responsible for operating the State Road Network and those providing traffic management services in support of local roads.

The RNOC facility has been designed to provide a purpose-built space for opportunities for collaboration between multiple agencies including the Public Transport Authority, Department of Transport, WA Police, St John Ambulance, Department of Fire and Emergency Services, the City of Perth and event organisers to manage real-time operations, events and incidents on the road network. Perth’s first Smart Freeway and other innovative technologies to manage road network performance will be operated from the centre.

Patient Transfer to the New Perth Children’s Hospital

Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) has finally closed its doors after more than 100 years in service, now that the new Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH) is operational. On Sunday 10 June, between 7am and 1pm, the last 91 patients in PMH were transferred by ambulance to the PCH. The 3.3 kilometre journey took an average time of eight minutes and was repeated every five minutes. We were heavily involved with the traffic management planning and implementation on site to facilitate the smooth and timely progression of children to the new hospital.

We visually tracked the convoy in real-time from the Traffic Operations Centre, ensuring that ambulance movements were coordinated, manually overriding the traffic signals to extend green time along the route. The specialist operators simultaneously minimised congestion on the surrounding network and maintained situational awareness to assist ambulances through traffic detours if required. This kept the 15-ambulance fleet rolling safely and efficiently during this enormous logistical exercise.

Transporting Ellie the Giraffe

When a 16-month-old giraffe called Ellie made the four-day, 4,500 kilometre trip from Queensland’s Australia Zoo in September 2017, we assisted with the final leg of her journey. By providing a greenlight corridor from Greenmount Hill all the way to the Perth Zoo gates, we helped reduce stress for Ellie as the convoy passed through the Perth metropolitan area. The green light corridor was created by manually overriding traffic signals to coincide with the convoy’s progress as it was tracked visually in real-time by specialist operators located in the Traffic Operations Centre.

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. To help keep traffic moving our Incident Response Service provides quick clearance solutions 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.

Introduction of Body Worn Cameras

We commenced the use of Body Worn Cameras in June 2018, allowing for the recording of events electronically as they occur. Set to deliver a range of benefits, specifically relating to the gathering of evidence the introduction of the cameras will achieve:

• a reduction in Road Transport Inspectors time spent on paperwork meaning an increase in time on patrol
• improved collection of evidence
• moderated behaviour of people at incidents
• reinforce Road Transport Inspectors conduct and professionalism
• reduction in complaints against Road Transport Inspectors
• reduction in ‘not guilty’ pleas.

Badgingarra Wind Farms – Transportation of Blades

To ensure the safe and successful movement of large components required to build the Badgingarra Wind Farm, we are working with the internationally experienced local Transport Operator Mammoet Australia. The Badgingarra Wind Farm will consist of 37 wind turbines with a total of 111 blades. Each of the 111 blades needs to be transported from the Australian Marine Complex in Henderson to Badgingarra, prior to construction of the turbine.

When loaded, the blade length combination is 76 metres, with a width of 4.5 metres and weight around 29.6 tonnes, excluding the truck and trailer. Escorted by a Traffic Escort Warden and five Licensed Pilots, these oversize loads travel at a safe speed of 70 kilometres per hour, moving slower during turning manoeuvres. The entire journey is 260 kilometres and initially was made in two stages – a night move from Henderson to Apple Street followed by the trip from Apple Street to Badgingarra at sun-rise.

Nearly 300 moves will be required to transport the turbine components including the blades, generators and cells to their destination. In preparation for this, roadworks were undertaken at relevant intersections and at the Apple Street Road Train Assembly Area. To reduce road congestion and impact on the travelling public as well as increase productivity for the company, we introduced night time rolling road block convoys that will see the movement of three blades in convoy, leaving Henderson at approximately 10.30pm and arriving at Badgingarra around 4.30am the following morning. The wind farm is 180 kilometres north of Perth and due for completion in 2019.

The Perth Area Travel Household Survey

The Perth Area Travel Household Survey (PATHS) launched in May 2018 will see information collected from a total of approximately 7,000 households over four years. The function of the survey is to collect information about how individuals travel so the State Government can use the data to inform transport infrastructure investment decision-making.

Householders across the Perth and Peel regions will be randomly selected to participate. Each householder who takes part will be given a GPS device to carry for five days. In addition, one cohort of householders will receive a paper travel survey to complete about a nominated travel day.

The second cohort of householders will be interviewed after five days of carrying the device, about their nominated travel day. This process aims to clarify unclear travel information and to compare cohorts. Representative’s door knocked during May 2018 to seek candidates with the random selection process being a statistical procedure that aims to ensure we adequately represent the population.

PATHS is part of the overall Travel Data Surveys Project. The Commercial Vehicles Survey (CVS) component requires further research and a tender for data collection expertise will be advertised. The CVS component is expected to run across two years. More information is available from the project page on our website.

Road Safety

We have a significant role with regard to road safety and are charged with managing and providing safe road infrastructure and operations to all road users across the state road network. We are also responsible for ensuring the safety of our staff and those working directly and indirectly on roads. Towards Zero and the Safe System approach highlights the importance of managing the interaction of road users, roads and roadsides, travel speeds and vehicles in preventing crashes and serious injury crash outcomes.

The Safe System acknowledges that even the most compliant road users make mistakes, so the road system needs to be forgiving and cater for these errors. The strategic approach is to take a longer view, developing a 12-year strategy, looking at the research, partnering with key stakeholders and encouraging a shared implementation. Our road traffic safety management system is based on the belief that no one should die or be seriously injured on the State’s road network and we are committed to managing the network to minimise likelihood of road trauma to all road users.