With Victorian roads expected to bear the brunt of increased freight movements when dredging of Port Philip Bay is completed,
With Victorian roads expected to bear the brunt of increased freight movements when dredging of Port Philip Bay is completed, the creation of Infrastructure Australia was welcomed by Isuzu Australia.
Phil Taylor, head of sales for the Japanese market leader, says additional road and rail infrastructure is necessary to cope with the demands of the Australian freight task.
“Australia’s road network particularly in the capital cities and major regional towns is already under considerable pressure, and has been for some time,” Taylor says.
“Unless urgent action is taken, traffic congestion and bottlenecks in both urban areas and important arterial routes, will worsen with the increased freight movement projected for our country in coming years.”
Taylor says commissioning a body such as Infrastructure Australia was a step in the right direction, however urged the body not to get caught up in bureaucracy, as swift action was required to ensure Australian business remained competitive.
“The National Transport Commission’s (NTC) ‘Twice the Task’ report of several years ago mooted the need for a coordinated approach to managing Australia’s infrastructure.”
“With Australia’s freight task expected to more than double within the next two decades, it’s imperative that there is synergy between our country’s modes of freight transport.”
National coordination and upgrading of Australia’s infrastructure would not only help the country’s bottom line, but also deliver social benefits.
“Being geographically comparable in size to Europe but with a far smaller population, there are considerable challenges to overcome in developing a more efficient and reliable transport infrastructure.”