B-Triple – Road trains
on Pacific Highway?
A Matter of Public Safety.

Meet the Candidates
Q&A session

When: 6:30pm for 7pm start,
Wednesday, August 28th 2013
Ocean Shores Country Club, Orana Road
Please join, share & invite others to event on FB

The Ocean Shores Community Association (OSCA) is hosting a Meet the Candidates Forum. All the Lower House candidates for the Federal seat of Richmond will be attending with an apology from the CDP candidate. The format will be a Q&A session.

OSCA members have flagged the danger of B-triples trucks using the Pacific Highway.

The Pacific Highway upgrade is a major objective of the Federal Government’s Infrastructure Australia strategy. It is jointly funded by the NSW state and federal governments.

“The completion of the Tintenbar to Ewingsdale section of the highway and the reduction of the St. Helena hill grade is scheduled for the end of 2014. The construction of the 365 metre long St. Helena twin tunnels reduces the 16% grade hill to a 4.5% grade. This removes one of the last barriers to the introduction of B-triples road freight on the highway” an OSCA spokesperson said. “A B-triple has three trailers, weighs up to 90 tonnes and is about 36 metres long, a B-double has two trailers and is 26 metres long.”

“Completion of this part of the Pacific Highway upgrade could open the Ballina to Brisbane section to the introduction of the 36 metre long, 80 to concessional 90 tonnes b-triples.”

“It is dangerous enough passing a 26 metre B-double at 110kph on a two lane road. Overtaking the much longer B-triples would be a serious matter for all drivers. Dual carriageway is no guarantee of safety. A B-double tipped over recently on the dual carriageway bypass at Bangalow.”

“In Europe and the USA the maximum gross weight allowed on any highway is 40 tonnes. Australia is allowing more than twice that weight.”

OSCA has asked candidates their party’s policy on introducing b-triples to the Pacific Highway. Do they have a strategy to introduce fast trains on an inland route for inter capital city freight? Do they support inland rail and road transport hubs to take road freight trains off the Pacific Highway?

Other issues flagged for the Q&A are

• securing the Roundhouse site for public cultural use
• youth and seniors unemployment,
• local aged care facilities,
• CSG mining,
• hospitals and health centres,
• education,
• sportsfields,
• public transport including light rail.

Questions will be taken from the meeting.
All welcome.

Enquiries contact OSCA on 0413 060010 or 0431 477445.