Road managers
Accessibility tools
At the time of the National Network Map’s launch in December, the NHVR had completed transitioning all maps previously held in ACT, South Australia, and Victoria. This transition saw the NHVR recreate the jurisdictional maps in OpenStreetMap, which is the data set upon which the map is built. This data source enables the NHVR to share mapping information and make road changes quickly and efficiently, meaning industry can rely on the accuracy of our road data.
Currently, changes to maps involve specialist teams and email-based change requests. With the National Network Map, following completion of approval, updates are automatically included in network maps. This means a richer set of information is displayed on the National Network Map to help plan safer journeys, including clear indication of railway crossings and traffic light intersections.
An in-built portal workflow for road managers facilitates immediate updates to networks on the National Network Map and will be improved over time with Road Manager Network Management tools. Any updates which expand network access can be published immediately. Any updates which condition, restrict or remove access (except in cases of emergency) are required by the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) to go through 28- day consultation providing forward visibility of such changes to enable operators to better plan for network changes. Upon completion of this 28-days, the change will be automatically visible on the map.
Over the next six months, road managers can expect:
- A rollout of network management tools to all local governments, allowing self-service management of all local roads on each network.
- A standardised conditions library, meaning each local council can accurately reflect its choices for network inclusion for all the roads in its area of responsibility.
- Adding to the number of available layers of data within the National Network Map, improving the management of intersections, bridges, and rail level crossings.
We will continue to seek your feedback on tool improvements during this rollout and will work with both local governments and jurisdictional road managers to ensure the tools are fit-for-purpose and intuitive to use.
We are also completing functionality to enable the automation of permits under pre-approval schemes. Combining this with digitising pre-approvals, and enabling their representation on the map, will mean less administration for local government, while streamlining the permit process for operators.
Overall, the NHVR is extremely excited about the map’s use so far, with more than 370 average daily users of the National Network Map, and up to 800 daily users on weekdays.
The map is already proving to be a useful resource for heavy vehicle operators and drivers and will improve for industry and government over the coming months.