Queensland Trucking Association (QTA) has welcomed the news today that most of the roads around the Port of Brisbane will no longer be classified as ‘critical’ from November 14.
QTA CEO Gary Mahon says this is a “pragmatic” response to police escort requirements.
“With the ever increasing projects in Queensland, the escort requirements have had to be reviewed out of sheer demand/supply for police escorts so this reclassification of roads relieves the pressure and allows more pilot escorts,” said Mahon.
“This is welcomed by industry and been long sought. A practical and still safe change.”
In a statement to industry today, the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) said that to “maintain appropriate risk mitigation and safe movement of larger oversize vehicles”, it had made the following changes to the classification of critical and major roads and critical areas at the Port of Brisbane.
- The Port of Brisbane will no longer fall within the critical area
- All roads on the Port of Brisbane (Fisherman Island only) except Lucinda Drive will be classified as major roads
- Lucinda Drive will be classified as a critical road.
These changes will impact the escorting requirements for over-dimensional vehicle movements, added TMR.
For information about escorting requirements on critical and major roads, please refer to the Queensland Access Condition Guide.
Last week TMR also announced that a trial of alternative escort arrangements for bridge girder movements in Queensland had now been extended until December 18, 2022.
The trial, being conducted by TMR in partnership with the Queensland Police Service (QPS), was originally due to run for only three months.