Re: Alice Springs to Darwin line, but wait, there is more.!

[mauried@commslab.gov.au (Maurie Daly)]

In article <3805b719@dnews.tpgi.com.au> "Richo" <richardc@tpg.com.au> writes:
>From: "Richo" <richardc@tpg.com.au>
>Subject: Re: Alice Springs to Darwin line, but wait, there is more.!
>Date: Thu, 14 Oct 1999 21:02:12 +1000


>They got rid of the tollgates at Berowra - if you had charged $100 per truck
>on the Sydney to Newcastle stretch I think it would have been a fair
>commercial proposition - they could have used the money to incrementally
>extend the tollway north. Police sitting off on the old highway to catch the
>evaders. They could try going via Putty Rd, via Mudgee or out onto the
>Newell but would that be worth the $100. The gain to consolidated revenue
>from spending on the roads which was becoming self-funding - more money all
>round including for rail improvements. Bearing in mind that there is still a
>much greater return to rail from investment than road - the same $200
>million spent on the North Coast line produces bigger efficiencies than if
>it were spent on road.

Yes , but the above assumes that all trucks go to Newcastle.
Its hardly fair to charge a truck $100 to use the road if its only delivering 
goods to Gosford .
Toll Roads only work when there is essentially 1 entrance / exit point,or a 
small number at best , they dont work when people are entering / leaving the 
road at multiple places along it .
Also you are in effect discriminating badly against people who dont live in 
cities as the transport costs of goods to the country then rises, hardly fair.


>Yes and so we ought to. People enjoy the convenience lifestyle in Australia
>and don't realise the burden it places on others. Old Mrs Jones who can no
>longer walk to her corner shop must endure the crappy buses, windswept
>carparks and alien megamalls that make up this paradise. Cars, buses and
>trucks make this lifestyle possible. (I have a car so I'm alright Jack)

I cant see why small shops would not require deliveries of goods by truck in 
the same way as do large shopping centres.
Indeed the economies of scale would dictate that it is more efficient to have 
a smaller number or large trucks delivering goods to larger shopping 
centres than a mass of small trucks making more deliveries to lots of 
small shops.
The bottom line is that rail cant deliver door to door , whereas road can ,so 
we cant eliminate trucks, however in the worst case scenerio we can eliminate 
trains, (possibly apart from the suburban Network).
Its the last scenerio that worries me the most , in that the simplest and 
easiest solution for all Govts to take is to do nothing for rail.
The average member of the public wouldnt care or even understand the problem.
Even this morning on the ABC I heard the Federal Transport Minister indicating 
that far more road based infrastructure projects were needed in rural and 
regional Australia,and that some of the surplus could be earmarked for this.
No mention of any rail funding other than to indicate that there were 3 rail 
reports before the Govt yet to be considered.
Currently , I beleive rail is in a stalemate situation, the feds wont help it 
until there is rail reform which only the States can achieve, but the States 
wont give up their little railways as its a States rights thing.
Not a very good situation.

MD