News
Deliver Safety Through More Rest Areas, Better Technology
C
onsistent, mandatory standards for truck rest areas are needed, Australian Trucking Association Chief of Staff Bill McKinley told a parliamentary inquiry. Mr McKinley was giving evidence before the Joint Select Committee on Road Safety, which is inquiring into and reporting on the impact of road trauma and how to support the Australian Parliament’s resolve to reduce incidents on our roads. “We still need consistent standards for building rest areas, including basic amenities like toilets, water, and shade,” Mr McKinley said. “The road is a truck driver’s workplace; they deserve to have access to facilities like any other worker,” he said. Mr McKinley said progress was being made on rest areas. “In our submission, we noted that rest areas on Australia’s major highways were not eligible for funding under the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program,” he said. “Under round seven of the program announced in March, those rest areas can now be funded.” Mr McKinley highlighted the need to accelerate the uptake of proven safety technologies. “If implemented with an extension of mandatory electronic stability control to new rigid trucks, mandating autonomous emergency braking would save 102 lives and prevent 2,564 serious injuries on our roads,” he said. Mr McKinley said the ATA submission put forward a detailed plan to address the overwhelming number of certification and customer audits. Mr McKinley said that while progress had been made in reducing the number and rate of truck crashes, the number of crashes involving trucks was still unacceptable. "The ATA supports a vision zero target. Every road user should be able to get home safely, every day,” he said. “We need safer roads, safer vehicles, better safety systems, and better information to link it all together,” he said. The ATA appeared before the committee in conjunction with ATA member association NatRoad.
Local contractor to deliver Leach Highway and Welshpool Road upgrade
A
n alliance of local WA companies congestion and improve safety at what is a has been named as the preferred notorious intersection. proponent to deliver much-needed "Building a grade separated interchange upgrades to the Leach Highway and will significantly reduce congestion and Welshpool Road intersection. improve vehicle, cyclist, and pedestrian The interchange upgrade will improve safety at this critical junction in Perth's the most dangerous and second most major transport network." congested intersection in WA, with 224 WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioto crashes recorded said, “At least between 2015 and 50,000 vehicles 2019, of which pass through this The interchange upgrade 204 were rear-end intersection every collisions. weekday, with will improve the most The $93 million the area servicing dangerous and second upgrade will create key commercial most congested intersection 600 local jobs. activities in in WA, with 224 crashes The final contract the Welshpool recorded between 2015 and is expected to be commercial area, 2019, of which 204 were awarded in December Perth Airport, rear-end collisions and has been fastKewdale Freight tracked six months Terminal, and ahead of schedule surrounding - early works are expected to commence residential areas. before the end of this year. "Combined with our level crossing The Leach Welshpool Alliance consists removals along the Armadale Line this of local companies BG&E Pty Ltd, Georgiou will completely transform this transport Group Pty Ltd, and Golder Associates Pty corridor." Ltd and is expected to create and support The project will deliver: 600 local jobs. • a new bridge taking Leach Highway Federal Minister for Population, Cities, over Welshpool Road to create a gradeand Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge said separated interchange; the Morrison Government had prioritised • duplicate the existing Leach Highway infrastructure investment and construction bridge over the railway; and across Western Australia to support local • a shared path along Leach Highway jobs through COVID. from Sevenoaks Street to Orrong Road. "We're creating hundreds of jobs with The interchange will improve safety this upgrade alone at a time when hardand efficiency, and reduce travel times by working West Australians need it most," Mr alleviating pressure on the local road network. Tudge said. This project has been jointly funded "At the same time, this is a targeted by the Australian ($46.5 million) and State infrastructure investment that will bust ($46.5 million) Governments. WATM • October 2020
11
