Tolls considered unlikely for the Great Ocean Road

DESPITE recent calls to toll the Great Ocean Road to provide funds for maintenance, other methods are more likely to be implemented.

The Great Ocean Road, which recently turned 100, costs about $25 million per year to maintain.

This cost, and the increased traffic congestion, have raised concerns over the road’s future.

Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism (GORRT) is pushing for options that see visitors contribute to the development and maintenance of the road to be explored.

Yet GORRT’s chair Wayne Kayler-Thomson said tolls are probably not the answer to the road’s problems.

“It’s too simplistic to just talk about a toll in the traditional sense. You need to take into account not applying the tolls to locals.

“GORRT has undertaken a global study previously to look at a range of options. Technology can be applied to parking along the road, particularly in key places. That’ll help to relieve congestion in some parts as well, particularly around the development of the 12 Apostles Precinct.”

He said the new precinct also posed a good opportunity for some much-needed funds to be gathered for the road.

“That will provide extensive parking and will provide hospitality and retail experiences and the like.

“Visitors will be contributing to that, and therefore a percentage of that can be provided to the proposed authority to be used in the region for ongoing maintenance and development.”

Corangamite federal member Libby Coker said it was crucial the Great Ocean Road got more funding from somewhere.

“The Great Ocean Road is not only under threat from increased traffic, but also from man-made climate change and coast erosion.

“I would strongly support increased federal government funding to build on the current Victorian Government’s plan for the maintenance of the road.”

A major problem with the Great Ocean Road is that visitors tend not to stay in the area for long.

Mr Kayler-Thomson said this did not have to be inherent to the area.

“We’ve done research that identifies that visitors are prepared to pay for a quality visitor experience.”