The Legacy of Ben Carroll’s time at Vicroads massive trucks on our streets

If anyone needs convincing Ben Carroll and Vicroads have made the roads less safe and have allowed without any community consultation massive trucks onto our suburban streets look no further.

The roads are a lawless place under the Jacinta Allan and Ben Carroll who was the minister for roads and road safety when these large trucks that have no place in the suburbs of Melbourne were allowed onto the roads.

Victoria’s road network is so badly damaged from these trucks it is almost impossible to drive on them without damaging your car. The Minister for Freight and Ports Melissa Horne has already stated the states roads are damaged from the number of heavy vehicles now using them at a time with freight on rail in Victoria is at an all time low. In fact her time at thew helm has produced a disaster for freight around the state.

Freight companies in Victoria have been calling for years for more funding into rail and for more freight on rail, this has fallen on deaf ears. Looking below and the long list of incidents of trucks using suburban streets the system is now entirely broken, we need a new approach and one in line with other countries who are doubling down on rail freight investment. Did you know there are over 800 freight trains per day in the UK?

Don’t forget the state has a department called Freight Victoria who have the job of moving freight around the state. What projects involving using safer rail transport have been completed by this department? Google will show none I could find.

The above incident took place this week in the small enclave of Seddon. Where is the policing and where is Vicroads in managing the disaster they have created?

I could find significant delays almost a decade for the Port Rail Shuttles, no progress on the intermodal terminal called the WIFT, no progress on an intermodal terminal at Geelong, no progress on the Ballarat West Intermodal Terminal the list just goes on and on.

In Echuca there are manufacturers of product who use trucks to the Port of Melbourne and not trains even through there are two rail lines connecting the city to Melbourne. I would bet Freight Victoria have not even looked at how we can make freight from the north cheaper to the port.

It is time for a change of government and a complete rethink on the strategy of freight in Victoria. The Westgate Tunnel will fix none of these issues at all don’t be fooled.

8 thoughts on “The Legacy of Ben Carroll’s time at Vicroads massive trucks on our streets

  1. Vicroads have added $billions to the cost of road maintenance and have made the roads less safe. It is disgraceful what is going on. Communities are Shat on by trucks and the trucking industry all with the endorsement of vicroads.

    1. They sure have and the state cannot afford it. Rai l is much cheaper to maintain so Vicroads plan is to introduce massive trucks signed off by the Ben Carrol when he was thee and ask the government for more money. Then the poor councils cannot upkeep their roads which they have stated many times. It is a $billion dollar downward spiral into debt and road carnage.

      Freight Victoria https://www.vic.gov.au/freight-victoria. have failed the people of this state.

      1. If the freight Victoria or should I say trucking Victoria think this approach to freight is sustainable they are kidding themselves.

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