Gunnedah Shire Council has heard emerging trends, such as AI and increased heavy vehicle use, are set to have a significant impact on the state’s local road network.
The assessment was delivered at the 2024 Local Roads Congress earlier this year where Gunnedah delegates were in attendance.
The congress is hosted by Local Government NSW and is aimed at mayors, councillors and directors of engineering and is intended to address policy issues at Local, State and Commonwealth level rather than technical issues and to optimise roads and transport outcomes.
This year’s congress theme ‘Planning for the Future’ recognised there are a number of emerging trends which will have a significant impact on the NSW local road network, and it is imperative to start planning for, or in some cases take immediate action, to address these trends.
The congress suggested the integration of AI (artificial technology) into road maintenance activities could provide significant efficiency gains, as well as helping councils shift to a proactive approach to dealing with road defects, and ultimately reducing overall risk to road users.
It also said consideration should be given to streets as ‘shared spaces’ to help accommodate the demand for multiple, competing, use cases for the road corridor.
The congress highlighted how a predicted increase to heavy vehicle movements associated with road freight, as well as the changing nature and distribution patterns of the future freight task, require consideration to ensure economic efficiency is maintained. The efficiency will have to be achieved while ensuring the local road network is fit to accommodate these increased vehicle movements.
Delegates also heard that a concerted approach to road safety, underpinned by innovative technologies and community-focused strategies, would help address the unacceptably high rate of fatalities and trauma on local roads.
Critical to addressing these emerging trends and others on road network, would be a review of funding delivery to local government.
“The current government funding models, which tend to be reactive and segmented, present challenges to achieving these objectives,” the congress communique noted.
“They do not consistently offer the necessary support for crucial infrastructure development and retention of a skilled workforce within Local Government.
“This situation highlights the need for transformative funding strategies which enable councils to adopt a more strategic and sustainable approach. Such a model would better align with the long-term functional needs of the local road network, reducing future costs and improving service delivery across all levels of government.”
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