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Beyond the cities WA's traffic levels set to soar
Between now and 2025, traffic levels on the Perth-Bunbury corridor are predicted to rise by almost three percent annually - making it the fastest growing non-urban road system in Australia.
The figures, published by the Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics, put the precise annual growth rate for the route at 2.99% - significantly above the national average for other non-urban corridors of 2.14%.
The only other corridor that comes close to the Perth-Bunbury route for annual growth is the country's longest corridor - the 3629.6km Perth-Darwin network. Although it starts from a much lower base - just 433 vehicles a day were counted as using it in 1999 - the corridor is expected to be carrying 830 vehicles a day by 2025. That represents an annual increase of 2.54%. The full report on demand projections for AusLink non-urban corridors can be viewed here.
In 1999, the Perth-Bunbury corridor was handling 14,896 vehicles a day. By 2025 that figure is expected to climb to 32,039 vehicles.
By way of comparison, the Perth-Bunbury corridor is not far short of the often-mentioned coastal route between Sydney and Brisbane. In 1999 it was carrying 16,547 vehicles a day. But 2025 its daily figure will have climbed to 35,293 vehicles daily - representing an annual growth rate of 2.96%. That puts it second only to the Perth-Bunbury route for vehicle growth.
It should be noted that the 71km Melbourne to Geelong corridor is still the country's busiest - and will remain so. The bureau says in 1999, the route was carrying 45,366 vehicles a day and by 2025 the total will rise to 81,563 vehicles daily - representing an annual growth rate of 2.28%.
The bureau quoted the figures in a working paper designed to demonstrate the computer modelling it will be using in the new AusLink system for planning and funding land transport infrastructure.
Under AusLink the Federal Government intends to fund projects judged to offer "the greatest contribution to Australia's long-term economic prosperity".
The working paper found that Western Australia's other major non-urban corridor, the Perth-Adelaide corridor, would only grow by a relatively modest 1.6% per annum between now and 2025. That would mean the number of vehicles on the route would climb from the 1999 figure of 1776 daily to 2678 daily in twenty year's time.
The working paper said that on the Perth-Darwin corridor the growth in light vehicles was likely to rise faster that heavy vehicle traffic - mainly because of local population growth and an increase in foreign visitors.
Growth along the Perth-Bunbury route is largely fuelled by increase in light vehicles - particularly on the 80km sector out from Perth heading for Mandurah. This sector alone is expected to record an annual growth rate of 3.1% - far outstripping the national average.
