The NSW Greens have warned that a recent NSW Planning Department proposal to remove a 25-year-old curfew on the road transport of coal at Port Kembla between 7am and 6pm, Monday to Saturday, is the ‘thin edge of the wedge’.
“Coal companies in NSW have enormous lobbying power, far greater than local residents and before long they will be asking for open slather on Illawarra roads,” said Greens MP and mining spokesperson Lee Rhiannon.
The State Government introduced the curfew in 1982 mainly to limit noise on Mt Ousley and Springhill roads but a recent Federal House of Representatives Standing Committee on Transport and Regional Services said in a report it could not find “any solid reason” for the curfew to continue. The committee said the restrictions “should be removed, or, at least, substantially reduced”.
“Heavily loaded trucks are travelling time bombs,” said Ms Rhiannon.“A recent RTA study showed fatal crash rates for heavy trucks are around five times higher than for other types of vehicles.
“The potential for accidents grows at night, when fatigue and poor visibility rise. Planning Minister Frank Sartor should resist lifting coal truck curfew, put community before coal profits.”
The Greens are calling on Planning Minister Frank Sartor to listen to the local community and resist pressure from the federal government and the mining industry to lift Illawarra’s 25 year long coal truck curfew.
“The coal industry can cry ‘poor me’ about restricted travelling times but mining companies are making record profits and there is no justification to relax the curfew,” Ms Rhiannon said.
“Lifting the coal truck curfew, even only in some areas as suggested by the Federal member for Cunningham Sharon Bird, will be the thin edge of the wedge.
“Mr Sartor needs to show some spine and put the interests of Illawarra residents before the profits of the coal industry,” Ms Rhiannon said.