TASMANIA: Route Numbering
A sample of route marking in Tasmania - National Highway 1 and route B52 at their junction in Perth. Source: Josh Geoghegan, Dec 2004.
Tasmania operates with an alpha-numeric route marking system, the first state to do so, with the exception of one route – National Highway 1. This is a historic anomaly, necessitated by a Federal Government requirement, when the system was introduced, that the National Highway route be signed with the traditional National Highway shield. The Department of Energy, Infrastructure and Resources (DIER) stresses that the system is simply a route numbering system, and thus the category of a route does not reflect the road condition or pavement standard to be expected. Most ‘C’ routes pass along many different roads, differing pavement widths, types and standards, and through different local government areas.
Personally, I believe that Tasmania’s route marking system is a success because:
- The National Highway route (which doubles as the primary trunk road through the state) is easily discernible from other routes;
- The ‘A’ and ‘B’ routes seem to provide a network of more important routes covering the whole state; and
- There are route markers leading to most, if not all, tourist destinations, making it easy for tourists to follow the numbers rather than the name
Prior to the introduction of alpha-numeric route marking in 1979, there existed a system of nine State Routes, similar to those seen in other states prior to the introduction of alpha-numeric route marking. To read about the current system, the former State Route system, and the individual routes from both systems click on the buttons below.
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