Anderson says Melbourne also urgently needs a master road transport plan
The Victorian Transport Association (VTA) has commended the Andrews government for establishing ‘long-overdue’ clearways on congestion-ridden Punt Road between St Kilda Junction and Alexandra Avenue.
The Victorian Government recently announced that a permanent clearway would be put in place on Punt Road later this year to end bottlenecks, relieve traffic congestion and improve road safety.
Clearways will also be introduced for up to 100 metres on either side of Punt Road at Alexandra Avenue, Toorak Road, Commercial Road and High Street.
“Industry groups have been calling for parking to be abolished on Punt Road for many years as a partial solution to the gridlock that occurs there every day,” VTA CEO Peter Anderson says.
“We commend the Victorian Government for finally doing what successive governments have failed to do, which is to make our primary north-south road from the Monash through to the Nepean Highway completely free of parked cars, which will help to reduce congestion and increase productivity for freight operators that rely on that road.”
While applauding the clearways order, Anderson says Melbourne also urgently needs a master road transport plan that allows freight operators to travel between the city’s north and southeast without having to use Punt Road.
“Because they have no choice, thousands of trucks use Punt Road as a conduit between the Metropolitan Ring Road at Greensborough and the Nepean Highway.
“A true Ring Road that actually connected to East Link would remove thousands of heavy vehicles from Punt Road and other roads that simply aren’t suited to trucks,” Anderson says.
The VTA plans to continue urging the Victorian Government to prioritise developed of the North East Link project.
“This North East Link is the VTA’s priority road project and we will continue to lobby the state government to prioritise construction of this road in its long-term road planning,” he says.
In a separate issue, Anderson disapproves Monash University Accident Research Centre’s proposal for 30km/h limits in residential areas, arguing that it would affect productivity by up to 11 per cent.
“We support measures to reduce fatalities and injuries on our roads but we don’t believe a further reduction of speed limits is the answer.
Heavy vehicle operators only use residential streets when there is no alternative, which is why we as an industry group consistently lobby for roads and transport plans that encourage trucks onto the bigger roads,” Anderson says.