VicRoads

Strategic Liaison Committee

DR ELIZABETH GIBSON, General Manager CMPA reports on the last CCAA VicRoads Strategic Liaison Committee meeting.

CMPA requested representation on the CCAA VicRoads Strategic Liaison Committee.

The Committee’s aim is to improve communication between VicRoads and the industry to better Victoria’s road network.

The Committee meets on a quarterly basis and works hard to ensure that these meetings focus on strategic issues. From the Charter issues that the Committee may consider include:

• Investigate opportunities to improve business efficiency and effectiveness for the benefit of both VicRoads and the industry.
• Sustainability e.g. increased future use of recycled construction material in VicRoads and local council projects, sustainable supply of construction material, native vegetation reform agenda.
• Innovation e.g. better engagement between VicRoads and Industry, ways for VicRoads to increase efficiency and improve services.
• Gaining a better understanding of the future strategic direction of VicRoads and industry.
• Guidance and Performance Based
• Standards and other transport
• issues.

After discussions by VicRoads with CCAA it was agreed that CMPA could attend.

The first meeting that CMPA (Elizabeth Gibson) attended was held on 25 February, 2014 at VicRoads in Kew.

Elizabeth Gibson requested that CMPA’s participation be recognised
and reflected in the Charter.

VicRoads had provided a revised draft of Section 831 prior to the meeting. A meeting will be held with VicRoads (technical), CMPA and CCAA at the end of March to discuss the revised draft.

Elizabeth Gibson tabled the article in Sand & Stone (Issue 72 p. 22) on the current Section 831.

The notification process of changes to specifications, test methods etc. by VicRoads is inadequate: though they are uploaded onto the VicRoads website it requires checking on a daily basis.

CMPA and CCAA will be notified of changes so that their respective Members can be notified. An updated specification review program will be circulated to the committee.

The National Heavy vehicle regulator implementation process was discussed (already mentioned in CMPA news).

Also discussed was sustainability: it is interesting to note that Government departments are struggling with Native vegetation legislation with VicRoads still uncertain of the benefits of the new
native vegetation framework with issues of regional variability and interpretation.

The Department of Environment and Primary Industries are attempting to address this issue with training.

The South West regional Management Forum has established an Alternative Energy Committee that is planning on developing guidelines to facilitate wind farms to develop onsite quarries and to conduct a study on the future supply and demand of quality heavy construction materials in south west Victoria.

Also in south west Victoria, VicRoads have had problems sourcing 7mm aggregate.

Evidently, operators are having difficulty in producing material to the new specification and may well only produce product once they have received the order rather than stockpile the material, delaying the delivery.

Elizabeth Gibson responded that providing advance notice to the operators should overcome this issue.

The next meeting will be held on 13 May, 2014.

If Members have any issues they would like to raise with VicRoads at the strategic level, please contact the CMPA Secretariat 03 5781 0655.

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