ALGA President concerned that little such funding goes towards local roads used by heavy vehicles
June 5, 2012
The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) will seek to divert funding from Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program to local roads.
The aim is to help address an estimated $1.2 billion a year shortfall in road funding for councils, according to ALGA President Genia McCaffery.
“In the most recent Budget, the Australian Government announced that funding for the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program will be continued,” McCaffery says.
“This program funds projects aimed at improving safety and productivity for the heavy vehicle industry and other road users, such as technology trials addressing speed and fatigue; construction of rest stops and parking on highways; and upgrades to freight routes.
“It is disappointing that very little of this funding is currently directed towards projects on local roads that are used by heavy vehicles and ALGA will be calling on the Federal Government to consider expanding the program’s guidelines to allow local government priorities to be considered in assessing funding applications.
“In the meantime, ALGA will be working closely with Austroads to develop guidelines to assist councils making decisions about light industrial estates particularly in relation to the imposition of conditions on developers using the local road infrastructure to access their estates and off road parking by heavy vehicles along these local roads.”
ALGA has announced previously that it was undertaking further research into local road utilisation, with initial findings to be revealed in November.
