Greater Sydney experienced seven incidents involving over-height trucks during August, prompting calls for the drivers of these vehicles to be more vigilant and ensure they know their heights.
Transport for NSW (TfNSW) revealed that four of these incidents occurred near or at the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, and one each at the Eastern Distributor, General Holmes Drive Airport Tunnel, and NorthConnex Tunnel on-ramp.
“NSW Police, NHVR, and Transport for NSW promptly addressed each incident to minimise traffic disruptions. Transport determines the licence and vehicle registration implications for such incidents on a case-by-case basis,” said a TfNSW spokesperson.
New South Wales has more bridges and tunnels with low clearances of less than 4.6 m than any other Australian state. “Therefore, it’s important for heavy vehicles drivers and operators to be aware of their vehicle’s height, and travel on the approved road network,” TfNSW said.
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) added that when over-height trucks attempt to travel through Sydney’s tunnel network, it causes a significant disruption to the network.
“Unfortunately in the past few weeks, there has been a number of instances of over-height trucks attempting to enter tunnels in New South Wales,” said a NHVR spokesperson.
“The NHVR has zero tolerance for over-height trucks entering tunnels, with non-compliant vehicles posing a serious risk to the safety of other road users and threatening to cause significant traffic delays and damage to infrastructure.
“We will continue to work with NSW Police and Transport for NSW (TfNSW) to reduce the frequency of over-height vehicles attempting to enter tunnels and to promote heavy vehicle compliance.”
An industry-wide Overheight Truck Taskforce was also launched in May, as part of a crackdown on overheight truck incidents across Sydney.
Led by TfNSW, it includes a series of recommendations regarding infrastructure and technological upgrades to help identify overheight trucks long before they approach Sydney’s tunnel network.
“As part of that, TfNSW is conducting an Australian first trial on the M1 Motorway at Mount White using scanning technology and number plater recognition software to alert truck drivers to the full height of their vehicle – allowing them to replan their trip and take evasive action if needed and avoid dangerous incidents that can cause massive disruptions to the road network and damage critical infrastructure,” said TfNSW.
A list of Sydney tunnel height clearances can be found here.