Proposed changes to Wellington Street in Longford by the Northern Midlands Council have come under fire from the Tasmanian truck driving community.
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On Tuesday afternoon, a number of farmers and drivers met on Wellington Street to discuss the $8.2 million proposed streetscape changes, which would see kerb extensions, pedestrian barriers, street furniture and low colourful paintings.
Chair of the Tasmanian Truck Owners and Operators Association Rob Bayles said the developments would make the street suitable for cars, but not for the vehicles that go through it.
"There is machinery that is four metres wide that uses this road, where do you fit that sort of thing? It's already narrow," Mr Bayles said.
"We haven't got a problem with making the street better, let's keep it wide for agricultural machinery. It's an agricultural town and we have no other town in the state that goes from one end of the town to the other," he said.
Mr Bayles said businesses around Longford were also voicing their concerns, and questioned why the street needed to be changed.
"A lot of the agricultural equipment is now four metres wide, and they're going to put a barrier in the street that is two and a half metres wide. How do you get around that without running over the kerbs on either side".
National Road Transport Hall of Fame member Robert Wise said the proposal would impact truck drivers who regularly use the road and described the potential project as a "waste of money" and wondered if a traffic safety management plan had been undertaken.
"We are trying to stop what we can and speak up because they (the council) don't take any notice...there'll be an accident and then they will do something," he said.
Third-generation farmer, Chris Bayles regularly uses the road to transport business produce through Longford and said the creation of pinch points would make it extremely difficult for him to do his job.
Mr Bayles said it was disheartening that council believed the proposed changes to Wellington Street would be acceptable.
"As a truck driver you have to be more aware of caravans pulling into the caravan park, pushbike riders merging in, people pulling over in front of JJ's bakery, traffic is always going to be changing and it's going to take the flow clean out of the street," he said.
A report which assessed the road and streetscape works in Wellington Street, was presented in the Northern Midlands Council on June 18. An inspection of the site was carried out on May 24, 2022.
A number of issues relating to the streetscape, including the narrowing of the roads, traffic flow and parking were addressed in the report.
"It is noted that no objections to the proposal were made, and that the assessment considers that the proposal would make a positive contribution to the streetscape. The proposal will not detrimentally alter the character of the township of Longford," the report said.
"Traffic data sourced as part of the Traffic Impact Assessment preparation was provided by the Department of State Growth via Geocounts for Tannery Road South approximately 50m north-west of where it changes names to Wellington Street.
"The AADT in 2022 was calculated to be approximately 28,400 vehicles per day at the traffic counter and thus at Wellington Street. It was assumed that the percentage of heavy vehicles on Wellington Street would be approximately 15%," it read.
Reports from the planner which also adressed the issues of road safety, said the proposal is anticipated to lessen the likelihood of heavy vehicle crashes and rear end crashes at certain points along Wellington Street.
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Satria Dyer-Darmawan
Satria Dyer-Darmawan is a journalist for The Examiner and considers himself to be an all rounder. Originally from the Central Coast of NSW, Satria has worked in Alice Springs and North Queensland and isn't afraid to immerse himself in regional communities.
Satria Dyer-Darmawan is a journalist for The Examiner and considers himself to be an all rounder. Originally from the Central Coast of NSW, Satria has worked in Alice Springs and North Queensland and isn't afraid to immerse himself in regional communities.
