Ballina Shire calls for heavy-vehicle surcharge on Pacific Highway
Ballina Council is calling on the Federal and State Governments to provide arrangements that encourage heavy vehicles to choose the New England Highway as the preferred north-south route instead of the Pacific Highway.
Mayor Phillip Silver said: “The New England Highway for a long time has been designated as the National Highway. That arrangement made common sense as it allowed the freight task to move north-south inland, leaving the Pacific Highway to manage the traffic demands of the majority of the State’s population who predominately reside east of the range.
“However, the improvements to the Pacific Highway, which have provided significant cost savings through reduced fuel requirements, have seen it become a more attractive route economically for the freight industry.
“This mix of heavy vehicles and other highway traffic is deadly, and the risks are only increasing with the growth in traffic volumes.
“Whilst I acknowledge the commitment of both the Federal and State governments to the necessary upgrades for the Pacific Highway, clearly there remains a long time to go before that vision is realised.
“Therefore we need a system that encourages the return of some heavy vehicles to the National Highway, at least until the Pacific Highway Upgrade is complete.”
Cr Silver said Ballina Council’s proposal was that heavy vehicles using the Pacific Highway be surcharged to a level such that their economic preference again becomes the New England Highway.
“This surcharging on a load per axle basis could be applied in tandem with a Diesel Fuel Excise Rebate for heavy vehicles using the New England Highway,” he said.
“This should not be seen as a revenue raising proposition. Rather, I would compare the idea to the taxes on cigarettes which are in place as a policy to reduce the social and health issues associated with smoking by the additional price reducing the demand for the product.”
Cr Silver also indicated he was not seeking to discriminate between types of trucks.
“Whilst larger vehicles such as B Doubles have heavier total loads, their weight per axle is the same as single trailer combinations. Therefore the surcharge and the rebate could be easily applied on an axle load basis and provide the same level of encouragement to all heavy vehicles to use the inland route,” he said.
“We clearly have a problem with the increasing use of the Pacific Highway, yet we don’t have to wait for the highway upgrade to provide the solution. The solution already exists given governments have invested heavily over time in the New England Highway, and those investments are now not being fully utilised.
“Our idea is a simple one, to save lives on the Pacific Highway, heavy vehicles need to return to the New England Highway where traffic volumes are smaller and the appropriate infrastructure is in place to support the freight task.
“This proposal provides the necessary incentive for that to occur.”
The intention was not to force all heavy transport onto one particular highway, but rather use a surcharge and a rebate to more evenly spread the heavy vehicle freight load across the two road assets.
“I have written to both the Federal and State Road Ministers outlining council’s proposal. I look forward to their positive response to this proposal which will not only save lives but enhance the quality of life for the local residents living adjacent to the Pacific Highway and for the thousands who use it regularly to commute around this region,” he said.
