Transport infrastructure in Tumut Shire, Australia

Indicator: Transport infrastructure

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What the results tell us for Tumut

The Tumut Shire Council reports that the condition of its 332 kilometres of sealed and 320 kilometres of unsealed roads is declining.

Council estimates that 83% of sealed roads and 50% of unsealed roads will need to be programmed for major upgrades or restorative work in the next four years. This is likely to require significant expenditure if the value of the road asset is to be maintained.

The Shire has five taxis but there are no other public transport options available.

Table 1. Average age, length and condition of roads, bicycle paths, railway lines and parking within Tumut Shire, as at 30 June 1999
Asset	Average age of asset (years)	Length (lane km)	Percentage of assets in good condition	Percentage of assets in average condition	Percentage of assets in poor condition	Average condition of assets	Proportion of assets that require upgrading or rehabilitation within the next 4 years (%)
Sealed roads	unknown	332	17	50	33	declining	83
Unsealed roads	unknown	320	0	50	50	declining	50
Bicycle paths	unknown	unknown	unknown	unknown	unknown	unknown	unknown
Railway lines	unknown	unknown	unknown	unknown	unknown	unknown	unknown
Parking	unknown	unknown	unknown	unknown	unknown	unknown	unknown

About the data

Tumut Shire Council provided the data for Table 1. No comment is provided on the accuracy or completeness of the data. Data are updated as required and a yearly report is prepared.

More details follow:

Title	Assets annual report
Custodian	Tumut Shire Council
Jurisdiction	NSW
Abstract	Length and condition of roads
Search Word(s)	roads
Geographic Extent Name(s)	Tumut Shire
OR
Geographic Extent Polygon(s)	N/A
Beginning date	unknown
Ending date	current
Progress	In progress
Maintenance and update frequency	when needed - yearly report
Stored Data Format	Digital Microsoft Excel and Access
Available format types	Digital Microsoft Excel and Access
Access constraints:	only available through the Shire offices
Lineage:	actual length of roads maintained by Council - some roads are maintained by National parks and State forests these are not included
Positional accuracy:	N/A
Attribute accuracy:	80%
Logical consistency:	N/A
Completeness	N/A
Contact organisation:	Tumut Shire Council
Contact position:	Assets Planner
Mail address 1:	76 Capper Street
Suburb or Place or Locality	Tumut
State or Locality 2	NSW
Country:	Australia
Postcode:	2720
Telephone:	69470522
Facsimile:	69473999
E-mail address:	dvanags@tumut.nsw.gov.au
Metadata Date	03-Feb-00
Additional Metadata

Description: What does 'transport infrastructure' measure?

Which data are collected?

age, length (lane km) and condition of sealed and unsealed roads, bicycle paths, railway lines, and area of parking
number and capacity of buses, and taxis by fuel type per '000 population, including provision for aged and disabled travellers

Why do we report this indicator?

Across human settlements, various forms of transport infrastructure provide community members with transport options. An efficient, integrated transport system is vital for movement around and between urban settlements.

The condition and extent of the various components of the infrastructure required to provide transport services indicates the range of transport resources available to human settlements, including alternatives to private motor vehicles. It also provides some indication of the likely pressure of transport on natural ecosystems.

Where possible, roads and other components of transport infrastructure should be mapped as being in good, satisfactory or poor condition. Transport infrastructure of deteriorating condition is of concern because of the consequence this could have for future maintenance costs, as well as the potential for limiting future, alternative, transport options.

A well-planned road network can minimise traffic congestion as well as the amount of space required for roads, freeing up more land for other uses as well as reducing the total impact of roads on natural systems through impacts on pollution, waste, drainage systems, biodiversity and land.

Transport links, such as road and rail, offer an opportunity of access to otherwise relatively undisturbed ecosystems. This increases the potential for the introduction of weed seeds, pest species and physical damage (such as soil erosion) through the passage of humans and vehicles. Transport links can also interrupt native systems, by physically blocking native animal movements, and increasing predator access through transport corridors.

Transport links also have an important impact on catchment hydrology. The amount of runoff from sealed surface, such as a road, is greater than that from unsealed and vegetated surfaces. The compaction necessary for road construction can alter the local groundwater hydrology, to cause waterlogging and in some cases dryland salinity on the upslope side of roads. Poorly constructed roads can also induce severe soil erosion and a substantial increase in the sediment load in our streams. For these reasons the area of roads should be expressed as a proportion of non-urban catchments.