Queensland Trucking Association accuses LNP of "political expedience" over its decision to kill off the proposed National Truck Route through Mt Gravatt
The Queensland Trucking Association (QTA) has accused the LNP of “political expedience”
over its decision to kill off the proposed National Truck Route through Mt Gravatt if elected on March 12.
Chief Executive Peter Garske says: “Against the backdrop of our detailed submissions to the major parties, the association and its members are appalled at the use of our critically important industry as a political football.
“The political debate this week around congestion-busting measures and the Brisbane Urban Corridor reflect political expedience, not well thought out, sound and economically sustainable policy.”
Garske says the Brisbane Urban Corridor has restricted use for heavy vehicles as a consequence of several years and several million dollars of investigation and consultancy reports.
Those reports, discussed in State Parliament, have clearly indicated that heavy vehicles on the Granard/Kessells Road corridor, otherwise known as the Brisbane Urban Corridor, are there because they are servicing local industry and playing their part in the maintenance of employment opportunities in local industry, he says.
“The Queensland Trucking Association worked cooperatively with Government to restrict vehicles who were not servicing local industry, and require that they use the Logan Motorway. Significant penalties apply to those who breach the law.
“This arrangement has been in place now for close to two years. The reality is that the Brisbane Urban Corridor forms part of the National Highway funded by the Federal Government. The Logan Motorway is a state-controlled arterial road.
“We reject any suggestion that heavy vehicles can be further restricted, unless one is going to deny the servicing of business and industry in that area. In any event, articulated trucks make up less than 4 percent of the traffic through the Brisbane Urban Corridor.”
Garske says the QTA looks forward to both the Labor Party and LNP addressing the “serious policy issues put to them this week and suggest that those matters are a priority not points scoring at the expense of our industry”.