The Bypass could be a bonanza for business

The Editor,

The loudest claim of bypass opponents is it will result in an ‘economic loss to business’.

Is their claim valid? It’s not if compared to Orange, where the Northern Distributor (bypass) has created a residential, commercial and industrial bonanza.

Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) research indicates some towns such as Yass experienced significant economic losses after it was bypassed, but it rebounded within 12 months with 120 jobs at the western Hume Highway service centre and a similar amount expected with the opening of an eastern service centre next year. In addition, the removal of heavy traffic has attracted more retail business to Yass’ CBD, now free of traffic.

Despite Chinese whispers that a bypass would have a negative effect on visitor numbers, tourism is not a big factor in the Dubbo economy. The key economic drivers are manufacturing, construction, education, agriculture, health, transport, retail, business and mining.

Tourism contributes 4.31 per cent to the city’s economy. Less than 7 per cent of employment is reliant or partly reliant upon tourism. The bypass will have no effect on those tourist numbers.

Initially, Yass took a hit because travellers used it as a rest stop. Dubbo is different, it’s a destination town. The average night’s stay in Dubbo for domestic tourists is 2.3 nights; for international tourists it’s 16.6 nights; that’s not going to change with a bypass.

Rather than a bypass damaging trade, the increased congestion and reduced parking on Whylandra, Victoria, Cobra and Fitzroy streets as a result of the RMS’S River Street Bridge and Newell and Mitchell Highway alterations will actually deter travellers and locals from accessing businesses on those routes.

A bypass wouldn’t damage existing businesses in town or draw passing trade away from the town’s shops. Orange has proven a bypass has actually created opportunity for business growth along the distributor and the CBD, which is benefitting from the reduction of heavy traffic. Real estate agents report that roads that have been relieved of trucks and traffic by the recent opening of the Toowoomba Bypass have now become more valuable, with land prices surging.

Dubbo is the central point between Melbourne and Brisbane and the intersection for freight heading west from Sydney and Newcastle. At present, Dubbo is not a truck-friendly town, but its position as the central intersection of the Newell, Mitchell and Golden highways makes it a prime location for a mega state-of-theart truck stop, combining a major rest-stop/changeover parking space, mechanical and tyre services, along with quality layover amenities and eateries.

Evidence from the United States indicates a well-catered bypass actually increases rather than decreases the number of rest stops made by through-traffic.

A truckers’ and travellers’ service centre of the likes of Iowa 80 will attract drivers currently using the pot-holed back roads to avoid Dubbo congestion. A disturbing reduction in transport and warehousing jobs occurred in the Dubbo region between 2011 and 2016. A bypass will see that trend reversed quickly with increased employment in these areas.

Irrational fears that Dubbo will lose a significant amount of business if Newell Highway traffic is diverted around the city doesn’t stack up. Dubbo is a destination; people are coming here for all sorts of reasons; they’re not going to go somewhere else; they’re coming here for a purpose. Dubbo Regional Council’s Economic Profile 2019 absolutely supports that view.