Australian Motorways

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Gav
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Australian Motorways

Post by Gav »

Just found out that.....

They allow artics in lane three of a three lane carriageway....

And they also allow bikes not on lane three though.... ;-)
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Peter Freeman
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Re: Australian Motorways

Post by Peter Freeman »

Gav wrote:Just found out that.....

They allow artics in lane three of a three lane carriageway....
Generally, yes. However, there are considerable lengths of D3M that do have specific bans on trucks using lane 3. This is in Victoria, but I think probably also elsewhere.
Gav wrote:And they also allow bikes not on lane three though.... ;-)
This is true for some of our freeways, not all. It tends to be allowed on rural routes: I was not aware of, and am surprised by, Sydney's M2 allowing bikes on the hard shoulder. I also find the practise ridiculous. I suppose the reason is that many freeways here are online upgrades of previously-all-purpose roads, and there are no parallel cycling alternatives (though that does not explain the M2 case).
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Re: Australian Motorways

Post by Truvelo »

Are lorries speed limited over there?
How would you like your grade separations, Sir?
Big and complex.
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Re: Australian Motorways

Post by Peter Freeman »

Truvelo wrote:Are lorries speed limited over there?
No (speaking for Victoria - other states same, I think). A truck limit 10kph lower than general max has been mooted, and at least one major transport company has adopted that voluntarily.
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Re: Australian Motorways

Post by crazyknightsfan »

Truvelo wrote:Are lorries speed limited over there?
Anything over 3 tonnes (iirc, and including any towing vehicle) is limited to 100km/h, Australia-wide. So on freeways with 110km/h speed limits they are restricted to 10km/h below the general traffic speed limit.
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Re: Australian Motorways

Post by crazyknightsfan »

Peter Freeman wrote:
Gav wrote:And they also allow bikes not on lane three though.... ;-)
This is true for some of our freeways, not all. It tends to be allowed on rural routes: I was not aware of, and am surprised by, Sydney's M2 allowing bikes on the hard shoulder. I also find the practise ridiculous. I suppose the reason is that many freeways here are online upgrades of previously-all-purpose roads, and there are no parallel cycling alternatives (though that does not explain the M2 case).
Most motorways in Sydney permit cyclists, providing they have a suitable shoulder. Shoulder cycling generally only appeals to the "strong and fearless" group of cyclists, which is about 1%, but its attractive given the flat grades and straight alignments. M2 is an excellent example of that - the detour route which was in use while the motorway was being widened involved extra distance and extra hills, with no cycle lanes or other suitable facility along most of the route. Cyclists were illegally using parts of the M2 which weren't affected by roadworks as it was significantly quicker and safer than the alternative.

In WA, it is illegal to ride on a freeway but pretty decent standard shared paths are provided alongside freeways so that cyclists actually have a reasonable route to use. This has been practice for approx 15-20 years. Sydney's M7 is the only motorway in NSW to have a parallel shared path and accordingly there are very few cyclists using the shoulder - the ones that do are using it because the shared path has some steep grades and blind corners which make for a slow trip, versus cruising on the hard shoulder at 40+km/h.

In rural areas there is often no alternative route, or when an alternative route exists, it is along a road with no shoulders, blind corners etc. so riding on the hard shoulder is a fair bit safer.
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Motorways in Victoria, Australia

Post by Peter Freeman »

Having been inspired by some of the road maps created in the London Underground style, I decided to emulate them for a topic that naturally interests me: motorways in my home Australian state, Victoria. Vic is AU's second-smallest state, having an area about the same as England and Wales. Its capital city is Melbourne, population 5M. Here's the resulting map.

AU Motorways Vic.png

The map gives quite a good impression, I think. However, let me deflate it a bit -

Some of the roads included wouldn't qualify as 'motorways' in the UK as they are sub-standard in various ways. Some of our long-distance rural 'freeways' have at-grade intersections, in addition to their GSJ's. Here, this is inevitable: such a motorway often follows the route of, and may well be simply a duplicate carriageway alongside, its all-purpose predecessor. It may form the only connection for small communities. Those communities must still be serviced, but a GSJ or LAR is simply not economic. It will be a long time indeed before all flat intersections and property accesses are eliminated. These roads are, however, well-designed and, in the circumstances (for example, AADTs that would not warrant even an APDC in the UK) are adequate and safe. The flat junctions (always free-flowing for motorway traffic) are signal-free, roundabout-free and stress-free. Hard shoulders are almost universal - there is some skimping where old bridges and old carriageways have been incorporated.

Worse though, the rural M1 and M8 still pass through a few small towns: dual carriageways, but with the odd traffic signal or roundabout. The towns are not busy and are hardly obstacles, but it is likely to be years before the planned bypasses are built.

Also sub-standard are certain roads in outer south-eastern Melbourne that have, initially, been built without GSJs. The roads themselves are full standard (up to D3M with hard shoulders), but intersections are signalised or use roundabouts. In all cases though, provision is designed-in for grade separation. The roads concerned are the Dingley Bypass, Westall Road Extension, and the M420.

Melbourne's main metropolitan motorways are to a high standard: widths range from D2M to D6M/Q3M, a significant proportion are fully-managed (smart), and there is generous provision of C/D lanes, ramp braiding and ramp metering, etc. And our long-distance rural routes are indeed long - the 880km M31 all the way to Sydney is a classic and enjoyable full-day drive.

Finally, my map is forward-looking: the solid lines include some projects that are under construction, so it represents a future situation. Roads represented by dashed lines have not yet begun building.

NSW, a larger state, is provisioned similarly to Victoria, and Sydney is in the midst of some massive road projects. The tunnels there are particularly impressive, with more on the way.

Note: multiple edits of this post are to apply map updates and corrections.
Last edited by Peter Freeman on Wed Jan 24, 2024 23:02, edited 40 times in total.
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Re: Motorways in Victoria, Australia

Post by Berk »

I’ll have to report back in the New Year. I’m planning to spend all of December down under. Hopefully starting in the Blue Mountains, working my way down to Canberra, into and across Victoria, and along the coast road to Adelaide.

My plan is to be in Melbourne for my birthday, and Sydney for Christmas. :)

Thinking again, are there no major highways to Serviceton, or Mildura??

The lack of these makes the map look a little lop-sided.
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Re: Motorways in Victoria, Australia

Post by Peter Freeman »

Berk wrote: Tue Apr 16, 2019 23:49 Thinking again, are there no major highways to Serviceton, or Mildura?? The lack of these makes the map look a little lop-sided.
Indeed there is a major highway to Mildura: the A79 Calder Highway, which is a non-motorway continuation of M79 Calder Freeway, shown on my map. Mildura is 540km from Melbourne. Typically for Australia, that route cannot justify motorway standard, but you can make excellent progress (speed limit 100km/hr) on that good S2 road owing to the low traffic volume.

Similarly, the A8 continues to Adelaide (750km from Melbourne) after the M8 ends. M8 currently ends in construction works just before Ararat, but it will eventually reach to (and around) Horsham as shown on my map. The A8 is a very high quality S2. It has hard shoulders, frequent overtaking sections in the form of permissive and non-permissive S2+1, and long sections with a painted permissive 1m median. Serviceton is just a tiny-tiny place near the Vic/SA border!

Your planned coastal route to Adelaide does not use the M8/A8. You will take the M1/A1, and probably (recommended) the Great Ocean Road. At the Adelaide end there is motorway again for 75km, terminating in a spectacular D3M steep descent into the city, with a tunnel.
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Re: Motorways in Victoria, Australia

Post by Berk »

Thanks, that’s really interesting. It’s now the time for me to start planning my route in more detail. :)
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Re: Motorways in Victoria, Australia

Post by sydneynick »

A similar map of NSW motorways would look very sparse, as NSW is much larger than Vic with the population more spread out. Apart from the motorways in greater Sydney, we have:

M31, Hume Freeway, which is to full motorway standard to beyond Bowral but from there to Albury has sections with at grade intersections and property driveways.

M23, Federal Highway branches off the Hume just beyond Goulburn and goes to Canberra. The interchange was built on the cheap. There is no proper way for eastbound Hume traffic to get to Canberra, and traffic from Canberra goes over the westbound Hume on a bridge but is then tipped into the right lane of the eastbound Hume.

M1 South, Princes Highway is now motorway to beyond Nowra. It may not be extended further as traffic volumes are not high except on summer weekends.

M1 North, Pacific Highway is motorway to well beyond Newcastle, and is being upgraded in bits and pieces as funding is found. It is hoped that there will be a motorway from Sydney to Brisbane some time this century.
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Re: Motorways in Victoria, Australia

Post by crazyknightsfan »

sydneynick wrote: Wed Apr 17, 2019 03:32M1 South, Princes Highway is now motorway to beyond Nowra. It may not be extended further as traffic volumes are not high except on summer weekends.
The motorway conditions presently stop at Berry; Berry-Bomaderry is under construction but no sign of a Nowra bypass any time soon.

A grade-separated junction at Jervis Bay Road would be nice sooner rather than later...
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Re: Motorways in Victoria, Australia

Post by sydneynick »

I must have been remembering the road south of Nowra, which I think is divided up to the Jervis Bay turnoff. But, yes, I now recall that the highway goes through Nowra.
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Re: Motorways in Victoria, Australia

Post by Peter Freeman »

sydneynick wrote: Wed Apr 17, 2019 03:32 M1 South, Princes Highway is now motorway to beyond Nowra. It may not be extended further as traffic volumes are not high except on summer weekends.
The NSW government is publicly committed to duplication as far as the Victorian border, though the expenditure to do so is budgeted over 20 years (!)
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Re: Motorways in Victoria, Australia

Post by sydneynick »

Well, maybe. But both Commonweath and NSW governments have been promising duplication of the Pacific Highway to the Queensland border for well over 15 years. I think it is a bit over 50% completed.

And the next bit looks like being the very expensive Coffs Harbour by-pass, presumably to ease the political pressure to stop HGVs thundering down the main street. That is doubtless a good result for the town, but the same expenditure could have produced a far longer duplication in easier country.
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Re: Motorways in Victoria, Australia

Post by Berk »

As a result of this discussion, I looked up the Federal Highway and its Junction with Hume Highway. You’re not wrong at all.

It pretty much resembles a New Zealand State Highway in that respect. Quite a long way below what we’d expect in the UK (but probably acceptable given the low number of vehicles over the years).

The question is whether it will be fully upgraded before 2030.
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Re: Motorways in Victoria, Australia

Post by Peter Freeman »

In defence of the Federal Highway -

a. Until the recent re-numbering to M23, it was not named or claimed as a motorway
b. It was built VERY long ago.
c. It has an AADT of 7500 in each direction, which wouldn't warrant even a D2AP in the UK.
d. The 7500 vpd Sydney-bound on the M23 from Canberra merges with only 6000 vpd coming up from Melbourne on the M31. That totals 13500 vpd heading NE on the M31 to Sydney: Australia's busiest long-distance rural motorway! Considering the 7500:6000 ratio of Sydney-bound traffic at that merge, the right-hand-side on-ramp to save one bridge is the rational design. Lane allocations and geometry could and should be better!
e. The demand for the acute-angle at-grade movement, M31 Sydney-bound to M23 Canberra-bound, is virtually zero.

As usual in AU, we get away with variations from full specification because traffic volumes on all rural roads are low by UK, EU or USA standards. In a wider sense also, AU has a much more pragmatic and less legalistic approach to road standards than the UK. Hence 'Freeway' or 'Highway' can encompass a range of standards, with a surprising mix of them even on one route. This does detract from the confidence that you would have in the UK of a guaranteed minimum provision when on an M-route, but in most respects, in my opinion, it's a healthy and efficient approach.

Current motorway standards on urban routes are in line with international norms.
Last edited by Peter Freeman on Wed Jul 01, 2020 04:18, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: Motorways in Victoria, Australia

Post by Peter Freeman »

Since my original post I've improved the map. It is updated in the first post of this topic, by an edit.

Update: I am keeping all the maps in this thread current through edits, not new posts.
Last edited by Peter Freeman on Fri Jan 31, 2020 06:54, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Motorways in Victoria, Australia

Post by Peter Freeman »

sydneynick wrote: Thu Apr 18, 2019 12:27 Well, maybe. But both Commonweath and NSW governments have been promising duplication of the Pacific Highway to the Queensland border for well over 15 years. I think it is a bit over 50% completed.
The web site claims 81% … ?
sydneynick wrote: Thu Apr 18, 2019 12:27 And the next bit looks like being the very expensive Coffs Harbour by-pass, presumably to ease the political pressure to stop HGVs thundering down the main street. That is doubtless a good result for the town, but the same expenditure could have produced a far longer duplication in easier country.
The Coffs Harbour Bypass plan looks good to me, and I think it's the right pick for the next piece of work. I haven't driven any (of the NSW parts) of the Pacific Hwy recently, but what I see on public documents seems to be generally well designed and executed. It must be noted that the terrain for the route is topographically much more difficult than most UK motorway alignments.
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Re: Motorways in Victoria, Australia

Post by A303Chris »

Peter Freeman wrote: Wed Apr 17, 2019 02:10
Your planned coastal route to Adelaide does not use the M8/A8. You will take the M1/A1, and probably (recommended) the Great Ocean Road. At the Adelaide end there is motorway again for 75km, terminating in a spectacular D3M steep descent into the city, with a tunnel.
When did the twisty Mount Barker route get replaced by the new road. Last time I was in Adelaide, the south eastern Freeway started at the top of the hill at Mount Lofty, the old road, a twisty dual carriageway was a fun drive.
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