New technology-based measures to help curb truck operator behaviour will take place soon under a new initiative announced recently by the Queensland Government.
The aim is to significantly reduce the number of heavy vehicles taking shortcuts around the Brisbane Urban Corridor. The program is being aimed at heavy haulage trailers weighing more than 4.5 tonnes who use the link between the Gateway Motorway and the Ipswich Motorway.
Brisbane urban corridor dilemmas
The Brisbane Urban Corridor is a dedicate series of roads that connect the two motorways, but local residents have complained that some truck drivers are taking smaller roads through Wishart and Rocklea to get around bottlenecks posed by heavy traffic or stop lights. This, in turn, presents traffic problems for commuters, particularly around the hectic Garden City area.
The Queensland Government plans to make use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to combat this problem. The system, which is being trialled until the end of 2018 throughout the Brisbane Urban Corridor, uses a network of cameras to scan heavy vehicles for their license plates and records their location, speed and travel direction.
Heavy fines present
ANPR will be operating on a 24-hour basis until the end of the trial period, upon which time infringement notices will be issued. Drivers who are found to be in breach of the rules may face fines of $130 and three demerit points, while corporations could be fined $650. There will be appropriate signage informing drivers of the monitoring taking place.
The issue has come to a head after the intervention of Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey.
“Traffic delays and increased safety concerns, as well as increased noise for the people who live and work in the area has simply gone too far,” he said.
Operators of heavy vehicles who wish to avoid the area altogether as they make their way from the Gateway Motorway to the Ipswich Motorway are advised to continue travelling along the Gateway Motorway and then make their way west via the Logan Motorway.
While you’re at the intersection of the Logan and Ipswich Motorways, take a moment to wave to the nearby team at The Drake Group, who for over 60 years have been engineering, selling and servicing a wide range of heavy transport trailers. Contact The Drake Group today to find out more.
