Wollongong Council Acts

At its ordinary meeting of 11 February 2013, after many contributions from individual Councilors, and an address on behalf of Wollongong Transport Coalition (WTC), Wollongong City Council resolved unanimously that:

1. Council make an urgent submission to

a.     The Draft Freight and Port Strategy. 

b.     The NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure regarding the Boral Quarry extension. 

2. Council utilise the expertise and information provided by  Dr Philip Laird and the submission also include concerns regarding traffic congestion, noise impact, air pollution, road damage and safety.  
3. Council make representations to the Minister for Finance and Services and Minister for the Illawarra, The Hon. Greg Pearce MLC, and the Minister for Roads and Ports and Deputy Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council, The Hon. Duncan Gay MLC, along with local NSW Government MPs and local Members of the NSW Opposition, to assist economic growth through improved transport infrastructure. 

In addition, at its meeting of 6 February, Council's Neighbourhood Forum 5  (NF5)  resolved on traffic matters:

1. lodge a submission objecting to proposals to place up to an extra 0.5 million tonnes of quarry products from Boral's Dunmore quarry on Mt Ousley and other Wollongong main roads and call for a review of train path availability to allow an extra quarry product train a day instead of Boral's plans to use road haulage.
2. lodge a submission to TfNSW re its draft Freight and Ports Strategy calling, inter alia, for more bulk and container freight onto rail, and 20 per cent of car imports via Port Kembla to go onto rail (as per the development consent for the inner harbour)
3. promote an upgrade of the intersection of Mount Ousley Road with the F6 before there are further fatalities;
4. seek the support of local MPs for these.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Please consider writing your own submissions to support those of Council, NF5 and WTC).

Re Boral's proposals for more road haulage from Dunmore Quarry -submissions to the NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure close  28 February 2013 - see

http://majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/index.pl?action=view_job&job_id=4879

and cite   DA 470-11-2003 Mod 6.

Re the NSW  draft Freight and Ports  Strategy - submissions to Transport for NSW  close  15 March 2013 - see

http://freightandportsstrategy.transport.nsw.gov.au/the-strategy/

Remember, submissions do not have to be long. Let the decision makers know how you feel about current proposals for more trucks.

            You could, if you wish, express support for  statements on page 4 of the  current 2006-2031 Illawarra Regional Strategy of the Department of Planning as follows:            "It is important that the Region's transport networks support economic growth and maximise the efficiency of freight transport. In particular, what is required are strategic transport corridors to support development of the port of Port Kembla, increase the proportion of freight transported by rail, efficiently link regional centres and towns, and support public transport."

             In regards to the NSW draft Freight and Ports Strategy,  Task 3B2 is to "Mitigate noise from freight operations" but this overlooks the fact that truck noise close to the Mt Ousley road and F6   like the numbers of trucks on these roads, is increasing. Requests by a local State MP for the authorities to install truck more noise monitors; one on the northbound lanes of Mt Ousley (for vehicles climbing Mt Ousley), and, on the F6 at Gwynneville, to record traffic and truck noise, for trucks moving in each direction, have been to date denied. 

            You could ask, along with more priority being given to move freight by rail (or in the case of Bass Point Quarry, by sea) that the Task 3B2 be amended to give more attention to:

            Truck noise monitoring

            Publication of noise limits and progress towards meeting these limits

            Consideration of legislation to ensure compliance with noise limits.

The Inland Route and Transport Policy

Whilst work continues on rebuilding the Hume, Pacific and Newell to modern engineering standards, our existing interstate mainlines are left with sub-standard alignments, and an Inland Railway linking Melbourne Parkes and Brisbane is subjected to study after study - firstly by the former Coalition government and then the Rudd Gillard governments.

            On 22 June 2012 at a Melbourne to Brisbane inland rail Symposium hosted by Parkes Shire Council, Minister Albanese and Shadow Minister Truss maintained that their party had done more than the other party to advance the inland railway, and, that their party would do more than the other party in the future.

            Minister Albanese, after referring to some recent transfer of Melbourne Brisbane freight from road to rail a record $12 billion federal investment in rail and a national rail safety regulator could not announce funds to get the Inland Route 'shovel ready.'

            Two days later, Mr Truss suggested that the $2.1m in federal funding allocated to the Parramatta to Epping urban rail link should be used instead for upgrades of the Pacific Highway. He would have done better to suggest that some any released rail funds would be used on the Inland Rail link.

            More generally, the Coalition's new 50-page policy booklet has no fewer than 12 mentions of 'roads', but none of 'rail' or 'public transport'. Check for yourself at:

http://lpa.webcontent.s3.amazonaws.com/realsolutions/LPA%20Policy%20Booklet%20210x210_final%20LIB.pdf

B-Triples on the Hume

There are now advanced proposals to allow B-Triples access to the Hume Highway.   

            When introduced in the late 1980’s into NSW, B-Doubles were supposed to be much safer than semitrailers, and be professionally driven. However, a fatal road crash involving a B-Double and a car in early 2012 on the Hume Highway on or near the Menangle River Bridge led to examination of the B-Double and its speed limiting equipment and found reported tampering of this equipment.

            Before any further consideration is given to B-Triples on the Hume Highway, there should be an acknowledgement by the Australian and NSW governments that more measures need to be put in place to improve the safety of B-Doubles operating on the Hume Highway. These could include:

1. An absolute speed limit of 100 km/h for B-Doubles (this current limit is too often exceeded).
2. Keeping to the left hand lane, except in the case that there are three lanes in one direction.  (in other words, keep out of the centre lane). In some cases, where hills are to be climbed, there is a case for extra lanes to allow slow moving trucks, faster moving trucks and cars.
3. More effective use of Saf-T-Cam.
4. Reforms such as advocated by Mr Lindsay Fox AC and others to have better control of driving hours. Here, on Channel 9, on A Current Affair It's the crusade to stop the carnage on Aussie roads, for 26 November 2012, Mr Fox called for Locked Black Box truck monitoring, with a suggestion that State and Federal governments are asleep at the wheel.

Pacific Highway Concerns and Alternative Projects

The Wollongong Transport Coalition (WTC) is concerned that the Australian Government's record funding of the Pacific Highway is diverting both federal and NSW Government funds from other road and rail projects.

            For some years, high level of federal spending on the Pacific Highway has been conditional on significant contributions from NSW Government funds.

This, in turn, has delayed road projects such as upgrading the Appin and Picton Roads as well as the Princes Highway.

            This is despite it being increasingly obvious, and as pointed out by Infrastructure NSW in their 2012 report that future Pacific Highway projects  will be on sections with lower traffic volumes, with benefit cost ratios as low as 0.8.  As this pro road report states, the money would be better spent on other road projects.

            On 23 December 2012, there was fatal road crash on the notorious  Mt Ousley F6 intersection, which is at one level, allowing traffic from Fairy Meadow and other locations to turn left to proceed up the Mt Ousley Road. 

            WTC calls for an underpass or overpass at or near the intersection the Mt Ousley Road and the F6.  Such grade separation could also provide an improved access to the University of Wollongong.