Minister involved as interstate and local operators have fallen foul of new penalties in Sydney
October 29, 2013
One interstate and three local heavy-vehicle operators have fallen foul of new penalties for tunnel damage and traffic delays in Sydney.
And Roads Minister Duncan Gay was involved in bringing one of the transgressors to book, snapping a photo of one of the offending trucks in action (pictured).
The companies or drivers involved were not named.
Gay highlights these initial penalties as sending “a strong message to the heavy vehicle sector, especially in the lead up to the busy Christmas season”.
One over-height truck driven into the Eastern Distributor last Friday damaged the sprinkler system and caused more than two hours of delays.
It has been deregistered for three months.
“While I photographed the truck coincidentally in north Sydney a short time later and he was quickly located by RMS [Roads and Maritime Services] heavy vehicle inspectors, the driver is also being penalised for failing to stop,” Gay says.
Two trucks had their registrations suspended for 28 days after they closed the Sydney Harbour Tunnel for almost 20 minutes earlier this month.
“A fourth interstate operator from Western Australia has also had his visiting rights into NSW revoked for three months after also closing the Sydney Harbour Tunnel for 20 minutes last Thursday,” Gay says.
“These drivers ignored countless signs and warning devices and had to be reversed out of the tunnel which choked the main arterial routes to the CBD.
“Apart from these penalties, we can still pursue fines against the company and penalties for directors and managers for not taking reasonable steps to prevent these dangerous incidents.”
