WHILE disruption to road freight has been minimal following the closure of the Fremantle Traffic Bridge, the Container Transport Alliance Australia (CTAA), Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA), and Western Roads Federation (WRF) are urging the Western Australian state government to ease heavy load vehicle restrictions.
In its latest newsletter the CTAA said although aggregated traffic volume on the alternate Stirling Bridge was down on expected levels since the closure of the Fremantle Traffic Bridge for reconstruction, import and export container volumes are expected to rise steadily during coming months, peaking in September through to November.
Increased rail services to and from Fremantle’s North Quay, with three extra train services to Forrestfield and one extra to Kenwick per day, potentially lifting rail capacity close to 30%, were welcomed by the group.
However, it said, despite this additional rail capacity, more than 70% of containers would still move via road, prompting the industry to call on the state government to allow port access for performance-based standards (PBS) compliant heavy vehicle combinations to and from designated locations and on approved routes.
“The proposal would deliver a safe, productive and efficient road transport solution that would ‘take trucks off the road’ and reduce network congestion,” the statement said.
“Unfortunately, the full productive potential of PBS-compliant combinations in WA is currently limited by a regulatory network restriction not permitting loaded 40’/40’ container combinations to access the Port of Fremantle.
“We estimate that the access proposal could lead to a reduction of over 20,000 truck movements per annum.
“This would not only contribute to reduced congestion during the current bridge and road network restrictions, but would provide investment certainty to transport operators while Fremantle’s Inner Harbour remains the major location for WA’s container trade prior to the Westport alternative in Kwinana sometime between the late 2030s to early 2040s.”
The group praised the work done by Main Roads WA to mitigate commuter traffic congestion during the reconstruction of the Fremantle bridge.
The industry group was convened to deliver practical, industry-led advice and solutions to keep container freight moving through the Port of Fremantle.