Keynote Speaker: Prof. Dr. Rothengatter is an internationally recognised authority on the application of transport theory to policymaking. He is head of the Institute of Economic Policy Research and the Unit of Transport and Communication at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany.

To be included on the 2008 Colloquium mailing list, please email btre.colloquium@dotars.gov.au

• BTRE 2007 Transport Colloquium–Program
  
  other_001_colloquium07.pdf
  (1.06 MB)

This analysis is the first in a series of case studies undertaken for the BTRE ex-post road investments evaluation project. The project complements the recent implementation by juristictions of the Australian Transport Council endorsed National Guidelines for Transport System Management in Australia. In particular the project is intended to benefit both future project appraisal and future ex-post evaluation under Auslink and more generally.

• Ex-post economic evaluation of National Highway projects, Case Study 1: Wallaville Bridge
  
  wp_070-1.pdf
  (1.33 MB)

The study deals with the eight Australian capital cities, and presents base case (or business-as-usual) projections to 2020 of avoidable social costs of congestion for Australian metropolitan traffic. This work updates and revises previous congestion cost projections published by the Bureau (such as Information Sheet 14, BTE 1999), and has been completed to inform the Urban Congestion Review, which was commissioned by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG).

• Estimating urban traffic and congestion cost trends for Australian cities
  
  wp_071.pdf
  (3.3 MB)

BTRE's ex-post road investments evaluation project involves systematically reviewing after the fact the projected costs and benefits of major investments. The project complements the recent implementation by jurisdictions of the ATC-endorsed National Guidelines for Transport System Management in Australia. In particular, the project is intended to benefit both future project appraisal and future ex-post evaluation under AusLink and more generally. This analysis was one of the case studies undertaken for the BTRE ex-post road investments evaluation project. The case study provided an example of how to undertake an evaluation of a bypass project involving an improved treatment of delay effects at intersections using the Main Roads Western Australia's WARES evaluation software.

• Ex-post economic evaluation of National Highway projects, Case Study 2: Northam Bypass
  
  wp_070-2.pdf
  (666.92 KB)

Paper presented to European Conference of Ministers of Transport "Workshop on Competitive Tendering for Rail Services" held in Paris on 12 January 2006. Paper to be published in forthcoming ECMT Workshop Proceedings. Author: Peter Kain.

• The pitfalls in competitive tendering: addressing the risks revealed by experience in Australia and Britain
  
  sp_002_pittfalls_in_competitve_tendering.pdf
  (1.22 MB)

Paper given to the 30th Australasian Transport Research Forum, 25–27 September 2007, Langham Hotel, Melbourne. Authors: Tim Risbey, Hema de Silva, Alicia Tong.

• Road Crash Cost Estimation: A Proposal Incorporating a Decade of Conceptual and Empirical Developments
  
  sp_001_Road_Crash_Cost.pdf
  (980.91 KB)

In order to maximise the value of urban transport modelling as a tool for improving urban congestion interventions, a National Workshop on Urban Transport Modelling was held in Canberra on 5 March 2008. It was co-convened by the Urban Congestion Management Working Group and the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics.The workshop brought together nearly 60 participants, including urban transport modellers, decision-makers, research bodies and transport and planning agencies.

The initiative to organise a national workshop on urban transport modelling derives from COAG's consideration of the Urban Congestion Review in April 2007. COAG tasked the Australian Transport Council of Ministers (ATC) with establishing arrangements to improve urban congestion data, modelling and performance information for decision-making and to report back to COAG by June 2008.ATC subsequently asked the Standing Committee on Transport (SCOT), through the SCOT Urban Congestion Management Working Group, to progress this agenda. The proposal for a national urban transport modelling workshop was one ofa small number of actions endorsed by SCOT to assist in developing improving information for urban congestion decision-making.

Presentations

The morning consisted of a series of papers presented by experts in six key urban congestion management intervention areas. Keynote papers were also given by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Secretary, Michael Taylor AO, and Professor David Hensher. The afternoon consisted of a series of small group workshops to propose a number of possible future action areas.

Presentations in the morning sessions were as follows:

• Professor David Hensher, Keynote Address, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, Faculty of Economics and Business, The University of Sydney
• Rod Tudge, Traffic Management and Microsimulation, Traffic and Transport Modelling, Roads and Traffic Authority, New South Wales
• Lindsay Oxlad, Road Pricing, Road Transport Policy and Investment, Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure, South Australia
• Professor Graham Currie, Public Transport, Public Transport, Civil Engineering, Monash University
• Associate Professor Geoff Rose, Passenger Travel Demand Management, Institute of Transport Studies, Civil Engineering, Monash University
• Fotios Spiridonos, Freight and Business Sector Transport and Victoria's Freight Movement Model (VicFMM), Transport Modelling and Analysis Policy, Intergovernmental Relations Division, Department of Infrastructure, Victoria
• Frank Milthorpe, Integrated Transport and Land Use, Transport Model Development, Transport Data Centre, Ministry of Transport, New South Wales

Please see below for links to presentation slides and photos of the day.

Outcomes

The workshop recognised that modelling is capable of informing urban congestion management interventions but that currently policy and modelling are not well coordinated. Improvements need to be made for policy makers and modellers to work collaboratively in framing appropriate urban congestion management questions. The socio-economic impact of urban congestion interventions, for example, is an area which needs to be better modelled and understood.

The following five key areas summarise the proposed areas which received most support for further action:

1. Time of travel and behaviour shifts (i.e. how people make travel decisions) are not adequately modelled: New models need to be developed for peak spreading/time of day choice. Current models often exaggerate modal shift, compared to changing time of travel.
2. Socio-economic impacts of various interventions are not modelled to an adequate level: For example the distributional impacts of road pricing on different socio-economic groups; willingness to pay; ability to pay and access to alternatives, need to be captured.
3. Freight/Light Commercial Vehicles: A cost-effective way of getting data for freight and business sector transport modelling needs to be found. The establishment of a Freight Movement Working Group to develop and implement a better data framework for freight and business sector transport was recommended.
4. Reliability modelling: Better modelling is needed to assess the role reliability plays in mode choice and how reliability affects patronage, compared to other aspects of travel choice.
5. Collaboration to improve methodologies: There has been a lack of communication and collaboration between agencies, academics and decision makers and this makes maximising the uses of modelling for national urban congestion strategy difficult. Informal networks need to be strengthened and 'best Australian practice' needs to be documented. A clearing house for modelling resources needs to be established.

• David Hensher
  
  
  other_003_01_DHensher.ppt
  (1.61 MB)
• Rod Tudge
  
  
  other_003_02_RTudge.ppt
  (650 KB)
• Graham Currie
  
  
  other_003_04_GCurrie.ppt
  (3.85 MB)
• Geoff Rose
  
  
  other_003_05_GRose.ppt
  (362 KB)
• Fotios Spiridonos
  
  
  other_003_06_FSpiridonos.ppt
  (2.45 MB)
• Frank Milthorpe
  
  
  other_003_07_FMilthorpe_SCOT.ppt
  (15.8 MB)
• Photos from the workshop
  
  other_003_Workshop_Photos.pdf
  (911.24 KB)

BITRE's upcoming comprehensive publication will provide a more detailed analysis of the factors that impact on the full range of living costs across Australia. This submission includes some preliminary conclusions from the analysis of data on grocery prices collected for the main study.

The study confirms the view that grocery store prices vary widely across locations. It also finds the presence of a major chain in a town is a practical indicator of the price level of groceries in non-metropolitan centres. The major chain stores are more prevalent in larger population centres.

• Submission to ACCC on impact of location on grocery prices and availability in regional Australia
  
  other_004_ACCC_Submission_BITRE_2008.pdf
  (301.4 KB)

This booklet provides an accessible introduction to social, economic and environmental statistics for Australia's regions. Information is presented under the following broad themes: population; society; regional economies; housing; transport and communications; education and health; and environmental issues.

• About Australia's Regions 2008
  
  other_005_RegStats_2008.pdf
  (1.71 MB)

The report details trends in air transport services in regional Australia between 1984 and 2005. It presents numerous aspects of the regional aviation industry over time. This report has been updated several times since publication.

• Air transport services in regional Australia: trends and access
  
  report_115.pdf
  (5.07 MB)

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