Community fears about larger trucks need to be tackled before the rigs appear on residential streets, Victorian transport minister says
By Ruza Zivkusic-Aftasi | March 19, 2013
Community fears about larger trucks need to be tackled before the rigs can appear on residential streets, Victorian Transport Minister Terry Mulder says.
Mulder, who says trucks in the past have been “demonised”, believes government and the transport industry need to win over the community before higher productivity vehicles up to 36.5 metres in length can be introduced.
“Too often in the past the issue of bigger and longer trucks has been demonised and we have to make sure we take the community with us in relation to the introduction of these vehicles on the road,” he says.
“It needs to be a major industry support campaign and we don’t find ourselves being picked on by individuals or single issues. It has to be done in a very constructive manner to get the community’s support.”
Mulder has pointed to higher productivity vehicles as the solution to making better use of the road network and improving freight productivity.
“With just four metres extra in length of a standard B-double, the longer B-double offers a huge productivity dividend, particularly in the capability to carry two 40-foot containers,” he says.
“Longer B-doubles also give the safety boost to a vehicle that operates under performance based standards (PBS).
“PBS means we can introduce more efficient road transport combinations while also getting safer vehicles on the road.”
