3rd Edition QTLC Newsletter
The QTLC’s 2nd Newsletter has been released and is attached. It provides updates on current initiatives and outline acitivities being undertaking.
Newsletter 2011 – March Edition
Remote and Indigenous (Food) Supply Chain Study (RISCS)
The cost of basic food items in Remote and Indigenous communities has been the driving motivation behind recent Commonwealth Parliamentary inquiries and Ministerial statements.
On January 7, 2010 the Acting Premier of Queensland The Honourable Paul Lucas MP wrote to the Minister for Local Government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships The Honourable Desley Boyle MP, requesting that an Inter-agency working group be established to develop options to alleviate the high cost of food.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR) was invited to contribute to the working group in the area of Transport Infrastructure and Supply Chain analysis. The RISCS project team is represented on the Inter-agency working group by QTLC Secretary Mr Ray Merlehan who outlined the process of stakeholder consultation that had been initiated following representations made by DTMR in late 2009 on this issue.
The RISCS report was completed on time and on budget in March 2010 and was presented to the Inter-agency working group Chair to provide guidance on how a supply chain approach would achieve the desired outcomes.
A final report from the Inter-agency working group is expected to go to Cabinet in June 2010, QTLC Chairman Mr Neil Findlay said “It’s very satisfying that we (QTLC) have been able to live up to expectations and provide value to the process, the issue of access to good quality food at resonable prices is central to positive health outcomes for all remote communities”.
April, 2010
Real Time Traffic and Travel Information
A number of recent reports and studies have highlighted the importance of reducing congestion in terms of costs, emissions and amenity. The issue is well articulated in the recent Auditor General’s Report, which – quoting BTRE figures – suggest the congestion costs in Brisbane will exceed those of Melbourne and Sydney by 2020.
QTLC member and Port of Brisbane Logistics Manager Mr Andrew Rankine is actively campaigning to highlight these issues and find solutions, ‘If congestion is seen as a problem for all road users, it is a major problem for the freight sector’ he said.
The growing freight task contributes to increased levels of traffic and congestion, especially in areas of concentrated freight activity where non-productive dwell time on arterial roads is a rising cost component for all freight transport customers.
Travel times are expected to increase if a ‘business as usual’ scenario is adopted, if this is compounded by general operating cost increases the competitiveness of exporters and importers in Queensland will be adversely affected.
Whilst improved road infrastructure will help reduce congestion, infrastructure on its own will not solve the problem. The key is to use infrastructure more efficiently.
At a recent meeting convened by the QTLC, the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) and Queensland Motorways Limited (QML) outlined the options available through the use of an integrated webcam network.
There is already a significant amount of information available regarding the transport network in Queensland; TMR is in the process of finalizing phase 1 of the re-development of the 131940 website which was launched in July 2009.
- Redesign of home page and increased prominence of web camera images
- Map based depiction of incidents, road works, special events, closures and limits
- Currently 52 cameras in South East Queensland
- Increase total to 100 in South East Queensland over the next 12 month’s
- All cameras will be displayed on 131940 website
TMR is investigating the role of transport information in informing travel choices, as part of a congestion management project titled the Information-driven Travel Decisions (ITD) project. The aim for the ITD project is to bring stakeholders together to agree on a common direction for providing travel information in the future.
The QTLC, TMR and QML have agreed to work cooperatively to promote the benefits of this new technology to freight transport users, the second phase will involve linking QML and Port of Brisbane webcams to this site to allow fleet operators to make informed Pickup and Delivery decisions based on real time traffic information.
December 8, 2009
www.131940.qld.gov.auÂ
Traffic and Travel Information
Web Redevelopment Project