The Road Management Act 2004 requires Council to develop a Road Management Plan to establish a management system to prioritise its road management functions.

In accordance with Sections 50 and 52 of the Road Management Act, the purpose of this Road Management Plan is to:

• establish a management system for the road management functions of Council which is based on policy and operational objectives and available resources
• specify the relevant standards or policies in relation to the discharge of duties in the performance of those road management functions
• detail the management systems that Council proposes to implement in the discharge of its duty to inspect, maintain and repair public roads for which Council is responsible

A review of the existing Hobsons Bay Road Management Plan was conducted on the standards of inspection and maintenance for the road and footpath assets including:

• inspection frequencies,
• defects intervention levels,
• response times, and
• maintenance actions.

The Road Management Plan was developed based on operational objectives and recognises resource limitations in undertaking the necessary levels of service and performance targets outlined in the plan. The levels of service set up in the Road Management Plan are expected to meet user needs and community expectations for day-to-day maintenance of the assets.

Implementation of the Road Management Plan involves a rigorous risk-based approach to the management and inspection of the road and footpath network. Inspection frequencies and defect response times will vary based on the level of risk and criticality rating of ‘High’, ‘Medium’ and ‘Low’.

‘High’ criticality rating roads and footpaths are those located near and adjacent to activity centres, schools, parks, foreshore and other high serviced areas. These locations will be inspected more frequently with earlier defect response times to ensure asset risks are appropriately managed.