Transportation Corridors

One of the noticeable differences between Australia and Canada is the amount of resources put into public and human powered transportation, particularly in rural areas. Where we are living in rural Victoria is quite comparable to the population density back in Manitoba with similar geographic distances to contend with. Public transportation in rural Australia, in our experience tends to be inexpensive and efficient compared to the costly and unreliable options we have in Canada. In addition it seems that even the smallest of communities have well integrated bicycle and walking paths. Granted, the climate here is more conducive to year round outdoor activities and they don’t have as many frost heaves to contend with, but the value of this infrastructure also seems to be more broadly recognized.

Paved roads in Manitoba generally have a bit of a shoulder, while those in Victoria generally don’t have shoulders. There seems to be added incentive to separate pedestrians and cyclists from the roads. Halls Gap for example has invested $732,000 over the past three years to build a 4 km multi-use path that is a 3 m wide hot-mix surface. Fortunately we live at one end of the path and my workplace is at the other end so it makes for an enjoyable ride through the gum trees before and after work. It is a bit different from the challenge of a winter ride along the edge of Highway 10.