AAA advocates additional road funding

Bruce Highway upgrade a win for motoring association before campaign even gets into gear?

Its timing may be questionable, but the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) has kicked off a campaign calling for the federal government to spend a lot of money on road infrastructure.

And the federal government has already 'buckled', nominating the Bruce Highway in Queensland for a $4.1 billion upgrade. In reality, the government was probably preparing to influence voting in Queensland with selective spending there, even without the AAA's campaign, which is named 'Demand Better Roads'.

The campaign claims to represent the interests of seven million motorists around the country – and pursuant to the announcement of a federal government election in September, those motorists are voters too. But while the government, in election mode, is bound to throw cash around to win over disaffected voters, the association is arguing for a substantial sum of $100 billion spent over the next ten years – at a time when both sides of politics are backing away from a budget surplus within the next two years at the earliest.

Nevertheless, whether the campaign can be truly said to have claimed its first scalp, the AAA today welcomed announcement of the Bruce Highway upgrade.

“This is a significant and well-targeted investment with the highway one of the most dangerous in Australia,” said AAA Executive Director Andrew McKellar, in a press release issued today.

“Motorists in Queensland deserve better roads and the commitment to this investment will improve safety on key stretches of the Bruce Highway,” he added. “It is also welcome that the planned upgrades will focus on crucial flood-proofing work.”

McKellar and the AAA have assembled a two-pronged argument in favour of additional spending on the nation's roads. There's the question of reducing peak-hour congestion, which will help the environment, reduce business expenditure on road transport and soothe the tempers of commuters. But safety is an important point to consider too.

“Road trauma is estimated to cost the community a staggering $27 billion a year. With a targeted approach to funding road safety improvements, we can improve the quality of our roads and drastically cut the human and economic costs of road crashes,” McKellar was quoted saying.

“This is more than a wish list. These projects have been identified because they will have the greatest impact in terms of improving safety or easing congestion.”

“We will need strong leadership and an effective long-term plan. Given the size of this investment, it is going to require a significant contribution from all levels of government and a more effective approach to attract other sources of funding.”

The Bruce Highway upgrade is one pin skittled, but there are plenty more around the country on the association's hit list. A website has been established to promote the cause, encourage visitors to sign an online petition, and keep visitors informed about any progress being made.

If there's one problem with the AAA's campaign, some of the projects may not achieve the desired outcomes. Joining the Eastern Freeway with CityLink in Melbourne, for instance, will not necessarily alleviate the traffic snarls on Hoddle Street, near the end of the freeway, or at the Chandler Highway exit further east. EastLink to the Metropolitan Ring Road at Greensborough may serve merely to direct more traffic from further afield along a road that already struggles to flow in peak hour.

Below are the projects the AAA is backing. What do you think? Do they make real sense or are they just more money down the tubes for zero gain?

NSW/ACT

1. WestConnex Extension of M4 and duplicate M5 East as an integrated scheme. $13.5 billion

2. Pacific Highway Upgrade and duplicate remaining sections of the Pacific Highway to the

NSW/Qld border. $6.4 billion

3. F3 Freeway to Sydney Orbital Extension of the F3 to connect with M2 and M7. $6 billion

4. Princes Highway Major safety upgrade of Princes Highway. $6 billion

5. Newell Highway Safety upgrade of Newell Highway, including overtaking lanes and bypasses. $5 billion

VICTORIA

1. East-West Road Link Eastern Freeway to Western Ring Road with a tunnel to CityLink. $10-$12 billion

2. Metropolitan Ring Road Completion of road from Greensborough to EastLink. $6 billion

3. Metro Rail Tunnel Construction of the tunnel from Footscray to South Yarra. $10-$12 billion

4. Western Highway Upgrade from Ballarat to Stawell. $600 million

5. Princes Highway Duplication east from Traralgon to Sale and duplication west from Geelong to Colac. $400 million (eastern link), $750 million (western link)

QUEENSLAND

1. Bruce Highway Upgrade of the Bruce Highway over all six sections of the highway. $11 billion

2. Warrego Highway Construct second Toowoomba Range Crossing to address capacity and safety. $1.6 billion

3. Gateway Motorway North Upgrade to six lanes from Nudgee to Bruce Highway. $1.3 billion

4.Pacific Motorway Upgrade to six lanes from Nerang to Tugun. $3.8 billion

5. Brisbane Inner Rail Solution New rail tunnel to provide a second river crossing and add capacity in inner Brisbane. $5.3 billion

Picture courtesy of Diliff/Wikimedia Commons

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AAA advocates additional road funding

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