Hon Murray Criddle raises concerns about the safety of rail crossings on the Norseman-Esperance highway for 36-metre trucks accessing the Grass Patch CBH grain bin. Hon Adele Farina responds with interim safety measures and plans for long-term solutions.

AnsweredQoN 973Legislative Council
Asked
24 October 2007
Portfolio
Planning and Infrastructure

QuestionView source ↗

GRASS PATCH GRAIN BIN - CBH GROUP
Having visited the Grass Patch CBH Group entrance and seven other rail crossings on the Norseman-Esperance highway on Sunday, 21 October, I ask: will the minister ask Main Roads to work with locals to develop a long-term engineering solution to safely allow 36-metre trucks to use these crossings as soon as possible? Hon ADELE FARINA

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the member for some notice of this question. Having identified a safety problem at these crossing points, Main Roads’ immediate concern was to ensure that transport operations for both road and rail operators were carried out in the safest possible manner. As an interim step, and in recognition of the needs of local farmers during the current harvest period, access is being provided at all eight crossing points with the use of accredited spotters who are in contact with heavy vehicle and train operators. Radio contact by heavy vehicle operators has been made a condition of restricted access vehicles’ access on the identified routes. This arrangement was put in place on Monday, 22 October, and will continue through the harvest period. As the minister advised the Parliament last week, Main Roads is looking at longer-term solutions to ensure that an appropriate balance between safety and convenient access is achieved at this location.
Hon ADELE FARINA replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. Having identified a safety problem at these crossing points, Main Roads’ immediate concern was to ensure that transport operations for both road and rail operators were carried out in the safest possible manner. As an interim step, and in recognition of the needs of local farmers during the current harvest period, access is being provided at all eight crossing points with the use of accredited spotters who are in contact with heavy vehicle and train operators. Radio contact by heavy vehicle operators has been made a condition of restricted access vehicles’ access on the identified routes. This arrangement was put in place on Monday, 22 October, and will continue through the harvest period. As the minister advised the Parliament last week, Main Roads is looking at longer-term solutions to ensure that an appropriate balance between safety and convenient access is achieved at this location.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. Having identified a safety problem at these crossing points, Main Roads’ immediate concern was to ensure that transport operations for both road and rail operators were carried out in the safest possible manner. As an interim step, and in recognition of the needs of local farmers during the current harvest period, access is being provided at all eight crossing points with the use of accredited spotters who are in contact with heavy vehicle and train operators. Radio contact by heavy vehicle operators has been made a condition of restricted access vehicles’ access on the identified routes. This arrangement was put in place on Monday, 22 October, and will continue through the harvest period. As the minister advised the Parliament last week, Main Roads is looking at longer-term solutions to ensure that an appropriate balance between safety and convenient access is achieved at this location.
As the minister advised the Parliament last week, Main Roads is looking at longer-term solutions to ensure that an appropriate balance between safety and convenient access is achieved at this location.

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