B-doubles to be banned from town centre
Murray Bridge councillors have voted to banish large trucks from four major roads.
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B-doubles will be banned from driving through Murray Bridge's town centre after a ruling by local councillors.
Most large trucks had not needed to use Swanport Road or Mannum Road since September, when Ridley Agriproduct closed its feed mill on Mary Terrace.
They will not be needed on Hume Reserve Road this summer, either, as Viterra will not re-open its silos for the 2020-21 grain harvest.
So, on Tuesday night, councillors voted to have all four roads removed from the freight network.
The ban will apply between Lagoon Road and the South Eastern Freeway interchange.
Once the changes are approved by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, HML and GML B-doubles will be required to use the Hindmarsh Road-Maurice Road-Cypress Terrace bypass instead.
The council and federal government spent $5 million reinforcing those roads for the purpose in 2017.
Semi-trailers will still be permitted in the town centre, and the council will be able to issue permits for one-off freight movements if required.
The ban was originally proposed in December by Councillor Karen Eckermann, who said the increasing number of pedestrians around schools, nursing homes and the Murray Bridge hospital made it too risky for B-doubles to be allowed through.
At Tuesday’s meeting, she said the teachers, child care workers and residents she had spoken to were happy with the plan.
“Their primary motivation was safety,” she said.
“I’m pleased to support these measures as a responsible reduction of that risk.”
Image: DPTI.
