The Victorian Government in partnership with Transurban and City of Melbourne, has announced a 12-month trial to take livestock trucks off city streets, instead travelling on the Burnley and Domain tunnels.
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Kicking off early next year, the trial will take 600 trucks off city streets each week, meaning large livestock trucks will no longer rely on travelling on busy city streets including City Road, Power Street, Olympic Boulevard and Hoddle Street.
Minister for road safety Melissa Horne says having livestock off our roads will make travel simpler and safer.
“This trial is a win-win for our city and our freight industry. By taking livestock trucks off inner-city streets and into the tunnels, we’re improving road safety while also keeping our freight sector moving,” she says.
Livestock trucks had been banned from the tunnels due to low-clearance infrastructure, but recent upgrades have raised the overhead infrastructure to a safe height, resulting in trucks being able to pass through without posing a risk to animals.
“The welfare of livestock – whether on farm or in transit – is important to all Victorians, transporting livestock in the most direct and safest route will improve their wellbeing and safety,” says minister for agriculture, Ros Spence.
To support the trial, additional signage and road markings will be added on arterial roads, helping livestock truckies navigate the busy city freeways more easily.
This builds on the Victorian Government’s track record of getting trucks off local roads, including a $10.2 million investment in camera technology, enforcing 24/7 truck bans in the inner west and a lease with the Port of Melbourne that will reduce truck trips to and from the Port.
Transurban Group executive, Nicole Green says road safety is paramount to the company.
“We’ve been making changes to our tunnel infrastructure in recent years and this, coupled with modernisation of vehicles transporting livestock, has made using the tunnels a viable option,” she says.
Freight volumes are predicted to increase from around 360 million tonnes in 2014 to nearly 900 million tonnes in 2051.
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