Freight network accessibility - Built environment indicator

Freight is the derived demand from people for goods and services. It most commonly manifests as trucks on the road. The economy, including the economy of successful places, relies on goods and services while the efficient and safe movement of goods reduces impact on other road users, the broader community, and the environment. Catering for the movement of high productivity vehicles to and from large freight generating locations such as logistics hubs and industrial areas needs to be considered as part of the delivery chain. High productivity vehicles travel on designated routes and are often restricted on other roads. These designated routes need to be protected, or alternatives identified if they are to be changed. Separating areas of place intensity and sensitive land uses from freight routes is desirable. Truck lanes or restricted access roads could be considered in and around important freight and logistics precincts like ports and intermodal facilities to separate high productivity vehicles from general traffic and improve reliability.

This indicator will support practitioners to understand the access and connectivity of high productivity vehicles across successful places including dedicated freight routes from land use zones that are likely to produce higher volumes of freight traffic. Based on the outcome of the assessment, practitioners can determine whether the movement of goods across the network is adequately provided for or if additional road segments could be re-classified to provide alternate route options.

Practitioners can use the target level of access on State roads for heavy goods vehicles metric to measure the target level of freight access for the State road network.

Practitioners can use the target level of access on roads connecting to industrial land for high productivity vehicles metric to measure the connectivity of industrial zoned lands to the arterial heavy vehicle network.