WA’s farming and logistics bodies say longer trucks can ease congestion in Fremantle while the port town’s traffic bridge is closed from next month.
Western Australia’s farming and logistics bodies say longer trucks can ease congestion in Fremantle while the port town’s traffic bridge is closed from next month.
The Fremantle traffic bridge will be closed for one year from February 1 so the new bridge can be completed.
WAFarmers and Western Roads Federation want to see a temporary increase to the maximum length of trucks allowed into the port so drivers could carry two 40-foot containers at a time, effectively doubling capacity.
That move, the bodies said, would reduce truck movements around Fremantle, ease congestion, reduce carbon emissions, and minimise disruption to trade without having to implement restrictions.
The state government has been focused since 2017 on getting more freight into port on rail.
WRF met with the Freight Trade Alliance and Container Transport Alliance Australia on Wednesday to hatch a last-minute plan to smooth out logistics issues during the bridge shutdown.
Western Roads Federation chief executive Cam Dumesny said industry was prepared to wear some of the costs to adapt but needed government to listen to its proposals.
“[The government] has been out to businesses in the community trying to encourage them to have showers for cyclists and getting commuters to put their kids on a school bus,” he said.
“They are all constructive things, but don't come out to the transport industry at five minutes to midnight and say ‘hey, we're floating the idea of a curfew on you’.
“All [a curfew] is going to do is extend the congestion problem on the bridge multiple hours either side of peak hour, because the trucks have still got to move.”
The government is not planning a curfew at present but has warned it could be considered. There are also no plans to allow long trucks to operate.
A state government spokesperson said Main Roads had modified key roads into Fremantle to smooth traffic flow as much as possible ahead of the closure.
“Traffic signalling will also be modified at key intersections to support traffic movement, which will be supported by more CCTV cameras and intelligent transport systems to monitor traffic flow,” they said.
“Fremantle Ports, Main Roads and the Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure will continue to monitor traffic during the closure and may implement additional mitigation measures ease congestion.
“Everyone will need to play their part to manage the traffic impacts and the Fremantle Port Authority will work with the container freight industry on ways they can minimise their movements during peak hours wherever possible.”
A new freight rail link was launched in December to help DP World get more containers on rail.
As well as longer trucks, the group is seeking policy to improve rail movements and container handling and is engaging with stevedores and businesses around workloads and delivery hours.
Mr Dumesny said the state government’s consultation with industry had initially been good but went downhill when the public servant they were dealing with changed jobs.
“They have rolled it over to another department, and all engagements ceased,” he said.
“There are a lot of issues to work through, and we have only got three weeks to do it.”
WAFarmers president Steve McGuire has also written to the state government this week urging the state government not to impose restrictions on truck movements to alleviate congestion, unless compensation was on the table.
The farmer group is concerned movement of agricultural products in and out of the port this year could be hampered without an effective plan in place.
“A curfew as discussed recently in the media, could have implications much wider than obvious driver fatigue and vehicle parking issues, such as extra costs related to perishable goods and adherence to tight shipping schedules,” Mr McGuire said.
“Shipping containers are critical to the export and supply of chemicals, seeds, feed, tools, parts, equipment and wholesale products essential to Western Australian small businesses and primary producers.
“While it is understandable that compromises need to be made to enable upgrades of some critical infrastructure, it is difficult to accept that a proposal to safely halve the number of truck movements – especially while the Fremantle Traffic Bridge is being rebuilt – cannot be supported and immediately implemented.”
Mr McGuire said larger road trains posed no extra risk as they were already allowed on WA freight roads.
The state government spokesperson said the agriculture industry had been engaged with ahead of the closure.
