Key local council is now appearing more open to high performance vehicle access
Container transport operators in Melbourne’s west are improving their relationships with local councils in the region.
Container Transport Alliance Australia (CTAA) director Neil Chambers says the City of Maribyrnong in particular has become more amenable to considering access for high performance vehicles on its roads.
It approved two local applications in June, having not offered a lot of leeway previously. The council says it will now consider new applications on a case by case basis, and will review the existing permits after 12 months.
This week, the CTAA and members met with senior engineers from the council to begin talks on a broader arrangement.
“It’s extremely pleasing that Maribyrnong City Council has adopted a pragmatic approach to working to improve local road access and freight productivity,” Chambers says.
“Today’s meeting allowed transport operators and empty container parks to explore in greater detail the criteria to be applied in assessing further applications.”
Chambers says a successful implementation of new curfews around residential areas of Maribyrnong may have helped to inspire new conversation on the access issue.
“There’s been pretty good adherence to those rules,” he says. “Now that the work (negotiations and communication) has been done on the curfews, they may be dipping their toes in the water (of further reform).”
The CTAA says it will continue to facilitate conversations between the industry, local councils, and residents in Melbourne’s west. Chambers says it will also work on campaigns to change community perceptions of high performance vehicles from “big, bad, and dangerous” to “gentle giants”.