Drivers wishing to pick up passangers are required to register on the hitchvictoria.com website.They must enter their name, address and current drivers license number. A criminal record check then takes place automatically and if cleared the driver is posted a sticker with their information and driver number to put on the windscreen of their vehicle.

CCTV cameras on the outside and inside of the shelter record both the hitchhiker and the cars which use the service. The footage will be used in the event of an emer-gency as well to monitor the condition of the shelters.

As an optional service, both drivers and passengers are able tohave an automatic message sent to their smartphone or GPS, If there is no reply to the message an emergency signal is sentto authorities along with the video footage of the most recentpeople and vehicles to use the service.

Hitchhikers are are not reqiured to register online,however it is advised as emergency contact detailsare then avaliable in the event of something happeningand they can be kept up to date of any changes to theroads or shelters. Registration also entitles them torecieve the emergency text message if they opt for it.

hitchvictoria.com

hitchvictoria.com

register onlineas a passenger

camping near eastern view walk to hitchhiking post

register onlineas a driver

daily commute lorne to torquay

alert on GPSthat someone needs a lift

arrives in australia

hitchvictoria.com

hitchvictoria.com

continue on holiday fly home post on guestbook

continues to workdownload applicationto GPS unit or smartphone

Guestbookscanned and uploaded

Due to the nature of hitch hiking, travellers may have to wait for extended periods. The shelter provides refuge from the sun, wind and rain and has a bench seat as well as room for baggage storage. The lighting and power points are powered by solar panels on the roof and a skylight provides illumination during the day.

A sliding door allows the shelter to be fully enclosed for protec-tion from the Roaring Fourties winds and is not lockable

The information board is locatedon the inside wall of the shelter

A rainwater tank catches run off from the roof and the water is filtered for use as drinking water and hand/face wash-ing.

the shelter

safety

Hitchhiking is a means of trans conversation and company and in some cases a contribution to fuel costs. Most popular in the 1960s and early 1970s, hitchhiking has declined immensely in the last thirty years. This decline has been contributed to the stigma attached to the practice in society after a number of ‘Backpacker murders’, as well as the rise in pri-vate car ownership.The authors of Lonely Planet have omitted all references to hitchhiking in their recent editions, author Jennifer Fox feels ‘it is so dangerous we would rather people didn't take the risk’.

Organised and regulated hitchhiking has potential social and environmen-tal benefits. These include increased sociability and interaction with local residents, cooperativeness and enabling people to ‘cross the barrier of fear and the barrier of selfishness’ as well as reducing the amount of cars on the roads.

To make hitchhiking again a socially accepted practice, infrastructure in the form of designated stops and shelters, as well as a website for drivers to register their details will be registered

victoria

The stops will be located on the road into each town, and at each tourist attraction, roughly 10km apart. This means that along the Great Ocean Road hikers are never more than a few hour walk from transportation and allows access to areas that would usually be inaccessable without a car.At points where there is a turn o� to an attraction such as the Cape Otway Lighthouse, the stops will

stop map

hitchvictoria.comabout the service

about the G.O.R

F.A.Q

forum

guestbook

register

driver hitcher

guestbookname: james from UK

comments.

name: nath from US

comments.

post your comments

fantastic. had a great trip on the Great Ocean Road. will be back soon!

saved lots of money on transport and met lots of cool people!

more...

information board

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5. A comminity noticeboard provides a space for locals and tourists to advertise local events such as markets and fairs, as well as items for sale such as camper-vans, camping gear and surf-boards.

6. The board also features tourism information, and a concise history of the area from indigenous tribes and colonial settlement through to the construction of the road.Also included is information about the local fauna and flora and geological features.

3. The information caters for both Australian and international travel-lers, with a list of handy numbers including a translator service. Also on the board is emergency contact details such as 000, CFA and local medical centres.

The roll is advanced by rotating the handle, so a clear part of the guestbook is avaliable or it can be scrolled back to view previ-ous travellers messages.

The information board is located inside the shelter It contains all of the information that a tourist would need about both the service and the Great Ocean Road

1. A large map shows the road, hitch hiking points, recommended campsites and points of interest.A legend links different sites to the information surrounding the map

2. When a traveller arrives at the shelter, they press the button on the board. A built in camera takes a photo of the hitcher and auto-matically sends the photo and a message to any registered cars passing within 200m of the shelter letting them know that someone needs a lift. The driver can then choose to accept or ignore.

4. A series of power points provide somewhere for the travellers to recharge any devices they may have such as mobile phones and laptops. These are powered by solar panels on the roof of the shelter.

www.GORGuestbook.org

Notices

7. A guestbook comprises part of the table area,where a roll of paper over a flatbed scannerallows visitors to leave a message about theirexperience which is then scanned and uploadedto hitchvictoria.com. The messages then exist in both physical and digital forms.

1.

2.

My proposal is for infrastructure along the Great Ocean Road to facilitate and encourage hitch hiking both by locals and tourists.

The infrastructure will consist of shelters on the side of the road with a safe area for cars to pull off. The shelters contain an interactive information board and map, rainwater tank, composting toilet, solar powered lights and power points, bike racks and guestbook.

To use the facilities, both drivers and the hitchers register on hitchvictoria.com, and are able to unsubscribe at any time. The driver has to enter their drivers license number and other details and a sticker is sent to them to affix to their windscreen to show that they have been cleared to pick up hitch hikers. Users only need to register once and then can use the service at any time.

The website contains an overview of the service, a stop map, frequently asked questions and a digital guest-book. A forum on the site allows dis-cussion, photo uploads and an oppotu-nity to organise a ride prior to the trip.

The system will rely on Wi-Fi communi-cation between the shelters and the drivers’ GPS or smartphone. When a hitcher checks in at the shelter a mes-sage is sent to the driver alerting them that someone is in need of a lift and the driver can choose whether to pick him up or ignore it.

be placed just before the turn o� to allow options for the traveller.

The drivers do not have to drop the passengers only at the designated shelters, however it is recommended as these will be the safest spots along the road for both the car and the pedestrian.

The website provides an online portal for people new to the service to register as either driver or hitcher, leave messages in the guestbook, read and learn about the Great Ocean Road and partici-pate in the forum.

upper pool studio | semester 1 2011 | sustainable vacation | simon curlis | samuel nikolsky

stop map

website

Along with the shelter is a safe area for cars to pull in to so they do not obstruct traffic while picking up hitchers.The road will be well lit and the shelter is on a raised platform for extra pedestrian safety

Bicycle racks allow cyclists to leave their bikes in a secure spot

The shelter features composting toilets, an enviromentally friendly way of disposing waste where after each use a small amountof untreated sawdust is thrown on top for better aerobic processing, smell reduction andto absorb liquid.