Cr Spud Jones
The South Burnett Regional Council will ask the Local Government Association Of Queensland to join its push to open up more local roads for B-Doubles.
At Wednesday’s Council meeting, Councillors heard that both the South and North Burnett Regional Councils are concerned about the difficulty heavy transports have accessing local roads in both regions.
Both Councils believe the current restrictions are having a significant economic impact on some businesses, and are also preventing some new businesses moving to the area.
Both Councils have held meetings with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NVHR), the Department Of Main Roads and the Local Government Association to look at ways to make the current permit system more flexible.
Council’s next option is to put two motions up at the LGAQ Annual Conference on August 26 to try to gain state-wide support for changes to the current heavy vehicle permit system.
The first motion would see the LGAQ call for continued improvement of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s processes through a review of the legislation.
The second motion would see the LGAQ call for additional access for heavy transports to be able to use more of the road network.
Roads portfolio chair Cr Spud Jones said that he was in favour of putting the motions to the State Conference.
In his portfolio report, Cr Jones noted Council officers had processed 14 NHVR applications in the last four weeks to help freight industry operators.
The applications were mostly for crane movements and house relocations, he said.
The decision to table the two motions at the State Conference was carried unanimously.
