This Occasional Paper compares road expenditure and road user taxation in Australia with that in five overseas countries (Canada, Federal Republic of Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand and USA). These five countries were selected because they are federal systems, and/or because they have similar socio-economic backgrounds to Australia.

• Road Financing in Selected Countries
  
  op_049.pdf
  (8 MB)

This Paper presents the results of a study on the performance of roads in a small and therefore more simply analysed region. A road user's view was adopted for performance evaluation during the study and the report's structure represents a methodology for similar future evaluations. For the purpose of the study 'performance' was taken to mean the extent to which requirements are satisfied.

• Assessment of the Australian Road System: A Case Study in Gunning Shire, NSW
  
  op_055.pdf
  (11.12 MB)

The main aim of this Occasional Paper is to provide the background to the operations of this industry for consideration by the National Road Freight Industry Inquiry and other interested parties. The paper also identifies and reviews possible solutions to key problems confronting the industry.

• Overview of Australian Road Freight Industry: Submission to National Inquiry 1983
  
  op_059.pdf
  (9.37 MB)

This Paper deals with the operational characteristics of the Australian Road System and provides time series information to show changes over approximately the last decade in characteristics of the road system. The road system has been defined to include the road network, road users, vehicles and road user legislation while the operational characteristics of the road system have been defined as travel time, comfort and convenience, safety, vehicle operation and community effects.

• Assessment of the Australian Road System: Operational Characteristics
  
  ip_010.pdf
  (10.28 MB)

This report presents the results of a study of the Australian road system undertaken by the Bureau of Transport Economics in response to a direction by the then Minister for Transport in May 1982.

• Assessment of the Australian Road System: 1984–Part A
  
  report_056_partA.pdf
  (5.98 MB)

• Assessment of the Australian Road System: 1984–Part B
  
  report_056_partB.pdf
  (834.56 KB)

The study undertaken to produce road travel projections, and reported in this Occasional Paper, had three basic elements. Firstly, recent trends in road travel were identified. Secondly, past patterns of the demand for road travel were analysed and, wherever possible, such demand relationships were quantified. Thirdly, scenarios relating to the future environment for road travel were developed and projections made.

• Assessment of the Australian Road System: Travel Projections
  
  op_060.pdf
  (5.79 MB)

This Paper has been prepared to provide input to the major Australian road system study conducted by the Bureau of Transport Economics, the results of which are presented in the Report 'Assessment of the Australian Road System: 1984'.

• Assessment of the Australian Road System: Provision of Roads in Local Government Areas
  
  op_062.pdf
  (3.48 MB)

This study addresses the pattern of road expenditure in Australia and the legislative arrangements under which the Commonwealth Government provides grants to State and Local Governments for roads.

• Assessment of the Australian Road System: Financing
  
  op_061.pdf
  (7.72 MB)

This Occasional Paper describes an economic assessment of rural arterial roads in Australia based on a road deficiency analysis. Benefit cost analysis was undertaken using the NIMPAC road planning model and an additional set of programs developed by the BTE to carry out economic evaluation. The principal objective of the analysis was to examine the economic returns from investment in rural arterial roads in different States and in different types of project construction work.

• Assessment of the Australian Road System: Economic Assessment Model for Rural
  
  op_063.pdf
  (7.93 MB)

This Paper contains basic information on the Australian road network, and on certain related data such as travel, expenditure, vehicle stock, and freight movement. The Paper is presented as a summary guide for ready reference to the status and trends of a limited range of road system characteristics. It includes data which the Bureau has found to be frequently used for the analysis of road systems, especially from the federal viewpoint. While the data presented here do not provide a complete picture, the aim has been to provide an overview description of the Australian road network, and it is anticipated that users will extract individual items of data according to their particular relevance.

• Australian Roads Summary Data, 1982
  
  ip_013.pdf
  (3.23 MB)