Roads plan raises new truck route fears

NEW laws that would see some Melbourne roads prioritised for tram, bus, bicycle, pedestrian or freight use have alarmed local councils, who see them as an attempt to ram through new heavy truck routes.

- Truck highways fears
- Trams, buses, bikes to get priority
- Move to unblock public transport routes

The changes would give the State Government power to prioritise transport types on all public roads across the state.

A new VicRoads register would be established, listing how roads had been prioritised and the laws could mean new bus or bike lanes on a local road or the sudden appearance of massive freight trucks.

The local government sector is concerned about a lack of detail in the new laws and the potential for new truck highways through suburbs.

The proposed laws before the State Parliament would give Roads Minister Tim Pallas the power to prioritise bicycle, pedestrian and freight roads. The Roads Minister and Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky would have the power to prioritise roads for trams and buses.

The only check would be that if the public road were a municipal road there must be consultation with the Local Government Minister. There is no mention of the local council.

Municipal Association of Victoria chief executive Rob Spence has written to Mr Pallas requesting more details on the laws.

"We are talking about heavy vehicles, that is the real tension point in our sector," he said. "There has been no discussion with us on the detail of this at all."...

Read the whole article at TheAge.com.au

Monster trucks to use tunnels - news.com.au

Ashley Gardiner

A MAP released by the State Government has detailed plans to run monster trucks through Melbourne's road tunnels.

The road freight network would form a key plank of the major transport blueprint, to be released within weeks.

In addition to Melbourne's freeways, the freight network on the map released yesterday included the Nepean Highway, Hoddle St and South Rd.

At the Victorian Transport Infrastructure Summit yesterday, Roads Minister Tim Pallas released a map that highlighted the roads that would be used.

Mr Pallas said the roads would be used by trucks capable of carrying two 12m containers, known as super B-doubles.

"We are looking at allowing super B-doubles to operate on what we are calling a principal freight network," he said.

"(The network is) a network of road and rail links connecting Melbourne's major industrial areas with the Port of Melbourne."

The map clearly indicates major arterial roads across the suburbs that would form the principal freight network.

But the Government last night sought to distance itself from the map. A spokeswoman for Mr Pallas said it was indicative only.

"Those lines (on the map) are indicative and no specific roads have been confirmed," Fiona Macrae said.

But Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder said the map was evidence of a sneaky expansion of truck routes without consulting local communities or councils.

"Behind everyone's back, Tim Pallas's maps are like a cancer, slowly spreading their tentacles into every nook and cranny of Melbourne," Mr Mulder said.

"The maps are an admission by John Brumby that Labor has failed to transfer freight to rail."

Maribyrnong Truck Action Group spokesman Elwyn Davies said bigger trucks would mean less incentive to invest in rail freight.

"More investment in public transport infrastructure would make the roads clearer," Mr Davies said.

Read the original article at News.com.au and the map here.

Freight plan calls for expansion of B-triple network in Victoria - news.com.au

By Nick Higginbottom

THE Brumby Government plans to run B-triples through some suburban streets as part of a massive overhaul of the transport sector.

A secret Department of Transport document obtained by the Opposition revealed the B-triple truck routes that will force heavier and longer truckes onto Victorians roads without any community consultation.

Opposition Transport spokesman Terry Mulder said the document showed the truck road map stretched from Wodonga to Portland and from Sale to Mildura including many roads, tollways and freeways in metropolitan Melbourne.

"This is John Brumby's fallback plan because of his failure to transfer freight to rail as Labor promised," he said.

"In December 2007 (Roads) Minister Pallas promised full consultation with local communities and councils about B-triples.

"John Brumby should tell Minister Pallas to pick up the phone and start making calls instead of traeating local communities and councils like mushrooms."

Key roads affected by the proposal include the Calder Freeway and Highway from Melbourne to Bendigo and Mildua, the Western Hwy from Ballarat to the South Australian border, the Henty hwy from Horsham to Portalnd, the Geelong road and Princes Fwy West to Colac and from Heywood through to the South Australian borders and the Hume Hwy to Wodonga.

The radical plan will also push the massive truck onto already overcrowded roads including West Gate Bridge, Monash Fwy and most of Citylink. The trucks will also be allowed to drive through the state's four freeway tunnels on the Monash and Eastlink - the Burnley, Domain, Melba and Mullum Mullum tunnels.

Other roads included in the plan are the whole of Eastlink, the Mooroduc, Frankston and Tullamarine freeways, the Western Ring road and Ferntree Gully Rd.

The plan would also see the massive trucks inundate numerous roads around the Port of Melbourne in Footscray and Yarraville, along with Fitzgerald Rd in Laverton and Cooper St in Campbellfield.

Premier John Brumby said the government hadn't made any decisions about the monster trucks, but admitted it was investigating a range of options for increased B-Triple use....

Read the whole article at news.com.au

"Not ruling anything in... not ruling anything out"