Road Management Act
What is the Road Management Act?
The Victorian Government passed the Road Management Act on 11 May 2004.
The primary objective of the Act is to establish a coordinated management system that will promote safe and efficient road networks at state and local levels and the responsible use of road reserves for other legitimate purposes.
To enable co-ordination of road management, the Act establishes a "coordinating Road Authority", that has co-ordination functions, and a "Responsible Road Authority", which has operational functions.
VicRoads is the Co-coordinating Road Authority for a freeway (shown in green in the Melway Street Directory) or arterial road (shown in black in the Melway Street Directory).
Frankston City Council is the Co-coordinating Road Authority for a municipal road (all roads listed in the Register of Public Roads).
VicRoads is the Responsible Road Authority for the whole road reserve if the road is a freeway, and if the road is an arterial road, for the part of the roadway used by through traffic, the central median and for the roadside in a non-urban area.
If an arterial road, Frankston City Council is the Responsible Road Authority for:
- any part of the roadway not used by through traffic, e.g. parking lane
- for the median strip between the roadway and the service road
- for any pathway, other than a pathway on a freeway road reserve
- for the roadside in an urban area (defined by 50kph zone or street lights or abutting development)
If a municipal road or an ancillary area to that road, Frankston City Council is the Responsible Road Authority.
In relation to road-related infrastructure, the Responsible Road Authority is generally the same as for the roadway or pathway to which the road-related infrastructure relates.
What is the Register of Public Roads?
Frankston City Council must keep a Register of Public Roads and ancillary areas of which it is the coordinating Road Authority.
Roads may be added to or removed from the Register and non-inclusion of a road on the Register of Public Roads does not affect the status of the road as a public highway or affect the right of public use of the public highway.