Road users' perspective of traffic management measures

It is important that motor vehicle mobility and the road infrastructure needed to sustain it at current levels of demand and anticipated future growth are provided. However, as a result of constraints on increases in road funding resources in the capacity of the road network in relation to demand will be severely limited. Therefore, traffic management measures are important to optimise use of the existing road system. This implies use of the total network taking priority over parochial issues. It is considered that adoption and acceptance of a hierarchy of road categories is fundamental to the consistent application of traffic management measures, both in terms of warrants and design, to provide for an adequate network for both private and public road transport users. Road Traffic Regulations are an interrelated component of traffic management but their complexity and enforcement inconsistency creates problems for road users and consequently their effectiveness, even to the extent of having a countervailing effect on traffic management measures. A comprehensive review of traffic legislation is necessary. Traffic safety is an important issue to all road users in that the losses to the community are great in both personal and economic terms. Traffic management has a role in ameliorating these losses as opposed to Governments' propensity for seeking solutions through legislation. The effectiveness of traffic management could be enhanced by improved identification techniques to highlight problem areas. The RACV believes property damage accidents could be an essential component of pro active accident reduction programs.