Freight

At its February 2006 meeting, Council of Australian Governments requested that a national audit of heavy vehicle Rest Areas be carried out against a nationally agreed standards (National Guidelines for Provision of Rest Area Facilities). The audited sample of rest area designs found that there was high compliance with the recommended minimum parking capacity requirements for all rest area categories. On average, nearly two-thirds of the recommended minimum site facilities were provided, with Rest Areas in WA and SA having lower average levels of compliance. The audit results were validated with on-site visits in most states. Results of a literature review found that there was no reliable research to form basis for calculation of safety and economic benefits of provision of heavy vehicle Rest Areas. Methodical research into the relationship between the provision of Rest Areas and crash reduction is recommended. Until road safety benefits and economic value of heavy vehicle Rest Areas are determined, funding should continue to be prioritised to the initiatives with demonstrated safety and economic benefits.