Cycling in Melbourne Australia

Harumph! B-triples on more streets?

They're fecking huge

I'll preface this with the opinion that I have a lot of respect for truck drivers. Well, most of the professional ones I've encountered and had the opportunity to have a chat and peacefully exchange views.

However there are cowboys & fkwts out on the roads, but they're probably cowboys & fkwts to virtually every other road user.

This popped up in todays media: The Age: Anger over mega-trucks plan

Massive B-triple trucks eight times the length of a family car would be allowed to run on CityLink and many other main commuter routes, under a secret Department of Transport plan leaked to the State Opposition.
- 'Secret' plan
- Transport strategy
- Restrictions lifted

The leaked document shows the routes B-triples - prime movers towing three trailers that can weigh up to 82 tonnes and are up to 36 metres long - would take through Melbourne, and around Victoria. B-triples weigh 74 times more than a family car, and overtaking one is the equivalent of passing eight motor vehicles, according to NSW motoring organisation the NRMA.

But's it's hardly *new* news as these plan have been afoot for ages, see the NTC site for more.

I'll circumvent a long rant by simply mentioning that if these monsters are allowed on more roads, then at the very least a major road user education program and complusory side guards should be enacted immediately.

Although, as usual, don't hold your breath waiting for the revelant authorities to do the right thing. Will it take someone or something, akin to the shock of Darren Millane's accident to speed up any changes, such as what happened with rear impact guards in the early 1990's?

Tags: b-triples, harumph, roads

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by vx255 on August 28, 2008 at 9:02pm: Hey, there's one of our trucks! too much hype and misinformation, not enough facts.

many articles cite road train lengths and weights as opposed to B triples, and yup, massive difference.

Darren Millane was pissed and slammed into the back of a parked truck.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by ChrisS on August 29, 2008 at 5:27pm: Yes Millane was totally munted after drinking at The Tunnel, but it was one of those incidents that got picked up as a road safety issue, i.e.: it may of expedited the use of rear impact guards in Victoria.

Here's more on side guards & related stuff from Transport for London.

Have a read of Alan Parkers article that was published in the Australian Cyclist mag in 1998. You may not like the intent in which the article was written, but there's some road psychology here that's well worth considering when allowing such large vehicles on the roads in Victoria, especially Melbourne's already overstretched road transport system.

With my 2c I wasn't expressly having a crack at Mr Fox or freight companies (hey, I used to work for one too), it's more about the impacts upon other users and seriously, with freight & logistics, how much stuff do people really need to exist? If B-triples are now required to move stuff then why aren't rolling stock options being investigated?

I was at the Richmond & Brunswick Transport Forum this morning, it's supposed to be a public forum of the Eddington report etc, I'll spare you the full details, but one speaker spoke at length about Melbourne present and future freight requirements. One glaring aspect stuck out when we were watching the PP presentation - Melbourne actually has a good infrastructure system, but very much under utilised during night hours. No doubt that's fact is worth investigating, i.e.: isn't night time use happening?

Truck drivers don't want to work shifts? Residents concerns? Lack of dedicated safe routes? Something bleeding obvious? I reckon that option is worth investigating, since a short to medium term solution could buy us time to seriously investigate better freight opinions, as like public transport, it hasn't received enough funding over the last few decades.

Oh and another thing, check out Localvore, its about eating food more or less from your local area.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by vx255 on August 29, 2008 at 6:48pm: There was no intent to assume you were taking a swipe, I just tire of people claiming that all truck drivers are bad. (you actually didn't which is appreciated)

The pic you've chosen to use is in fact a Road train, and not a B triple, which is only 6-7 pallets longer than a B Double.

new laws take effect on Sept 30 which all but prevent night driving for vehicles over 8 tonne or travel more than 100km.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by vx255 on August 29, 2008 at 6:49pm: Oh and I've done the Fatigue management course and currently studying a Cert III in Road Transport (2 yr course), so there are a number of us who know the rules and do the right thing. (btw, I no longer drive the big bangers, too hard on the family); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Roy on August 29, 2008 at 9:11pm: These trucks have been using the Western Ring Road to and from Geelong / Broadmeadows for a few of years now and no one has said a word.Yes they are big, but not much bigger than a Double B. A classic case of the media trying to scare the **** people, and doing it rather well, unfortunately.; ▶ Reply to This