NHVR acting chief executive Ray Hassall told theHerald the regulator wanted severe overheight offences – those exceeding 300 millimetres above the limit – to automatically trigger a referral to suspend the truck’s registration. “We want the problem to be fixed as soon as possible,” he said.
Roads Minister John Graham will meet regulator chairman Duncan Gay,himself a former roads minister,on Thursday to discuss the 57 overheight incidents in Sydney tunnels so far this year.
About half of those were in the Sydney Harbour Tunnel,including two on Tuesday – one in the morning peak and one in the afternoon – that caused traffic chaos. The southbound entrance was briefly closed again at lunchtime on Wednesday when another truck set off the warning system.
In that case,Road Freight NSW said the truck was under the limit but a twisted piece of plastic protruding from the top of the truck – of unknown provenance – triggered the sensor.
The government is also looking at repositioning warning systems further back from the southbound tunnel entrance,to give drivers earlier notice they are above the limit,and introducing personalised warning signs with the truck’s number plate.
“The infrastructure in the run-up to the Harbour Tunnel is a mess,” Minns told Nine’s 2GB radio on Wednesday. “The slip lane that trucks can pull into if they’re overheight apparently is in front of the final stop sign. Once you pass that final stop sign you’re in the mouth of the tunnel.”