Regarding the enquiry for a ‘viable, safe, sustainable and efficient road transport industry’, my submission relates to the following items from the Terms of Reference b. the development and maintenance of road transport infrastructure to ensure a safe and efficient road transport industry; e. the social and economic impact of road-related injury, trauma and death; h. the importance of establishing a formal consultative relationship between the road transport industry and all levels of government in Australia. My concern relates specifically to VicRoads granting permits for road trains and super heavy vehicles to travel from the top end of the state; i.e. Mildura and Robinvale Victoria etc to Melbourne and to Dooen etc along roads that are not designed for these size trucks and without passing lanes for hundreds of kms.. Below I have number of questions that relate to my concerns. What about passing lanes? There are none on the Calder Highway for 350kms from nth Hattah to Ravenswood (sth Bendigo) and the 240kms from nth Hattah to Dooen/Horsham. (involving the Calder, Sunraysia and Henty Highways. What happens with vehicles travelling at different speeds? Imagine a situation where a caravan is cruising at 80km/hr, followed by a road trains at its 90km/hr, followed by B Doubles at 100km/h and then a line of cars at 100km/hr; with north of Wycheproof at 110km/h; Without passing lanes for hundreds of kms it is a terrible risk to the public. Should there be consideration to the fact that the only public transport we have involves the same roads? We do not have a rail public transport system. Due to a lack of decent public transport, many of our senior citizens choose to drive; how will they tackle road trains? The road transport industry have known for over a decade that they will have a driver shortage; should this be a reason to open up more roads and highways to road trains and super heavy vehicles? Again, without passing lanes for hundred of kms, why should the public be put at such risk? With such a shortage of truck drivers in Victoria, will it lead to inexperienced drivers at the wheel of road trains and super heavy trucks? Apart from bigger loads, what are the other benefits of allowing road trains? Do these benefits truly outweigh the costs? What is the cost saving to the transport company, by using a road train verses a B Double and is it actually passed onto the primary producer, the manufacturer, the exporter or the consumer? What does that saving equate to on a per tonne or per kg basis? ( a true answer may reveal that it is not very much at all) What portion is that cost saving amount ( from using a road train v a B Double) as a percentage of the sell value per tonne or kg? Below is a transcript of an article from the Sunraysia Daily relating to the Sturt Highway, another highway in our region with the same problem. The article quotes the concerns of the Mildura Rural City Council councillor Mark Eckel. The concern is that if Vic Roads continue to issue permits for road trains and super heavy vehicles to drive from the top end of the state to Melbourne and to Dooen; the Calder, Sunraysia, Henty and Murray Valley Highways will end up being just as dangerous as the Sturt Highway. Sturt Highway more than a passing concern, says Mark Eckel Sunraysia Daily Aug 29 2019 A MILDURA councillor will challenge VicRoads amid safety concerns associated with lack of overtaking lanes on Sturt Highway. Mark Eckel is advocating the upgrade of the road, particularly with a a view to increasing RV parking bays and overtaking lanes between Renmark and Mildura. Cr Eckel emphasised the importance of attracting South Australians to visit Mildura and said part of nurturing this tourism market was pushing for better roads. "It's difficult to reconcile that there are no passing lanes in the 100-plus kilometres of federal highway," he said. "South Australians are such an important tourism market for Mildura." Cr Eckel said he had made contact with "many" truck drivers who expressed it was "impossible" to overtake when RVs were in convoy. "What magnifies the problem is the abundance of RVs and caravans on the road that are increasing each year with our baby boomers hitting the highways. "There is not one specific RV parking bay between Renmark and Mildura. "Unfortunately for truckies, who are restricted by law to take rest stops, they find their truck stops are frequented by RVs and caravans and can't park." Mildura Airport chief executive officer Bill Burke, who is also a qualified road train driver, uses the Sturt Highway weekly to travel between Mildura and Adelaide. "The problem all heavy-vehicle drivers have is the issue of slow traffic on the highway. There are a lot of grey nomads out there who travel in convoy and go at slow speeds," Mr Burke said. "That causes a delay for truck drivers and triggers their impatience because there is just not the opportunity for them to overtake." Mr Burke agreed with concerns raised by Cr Eckel and described the road as a "terrible risk to the public". "The road conditions are absolutely prime for a serious tragedy and that tragedy will be generated by unsafe conditions," he said. "About 10 years ago, I spoke to the director of VicRoads and he said there hadn't been enough fatalities on the road to justify the need to change it. It's an indictment of the attitude of the government." The council had previously been in discussion with VicRoads management and suggested passing lanes had been raised as a concern, according to Cr Eckel. He said the ultimate scenario would be to find a solution to the safety issue. "It's an urgent matter and I will be asking council if we can make contact with VicRoads and Tourism Victoria to push for more overtaking lanes," he said. "It needs to be on their radar.".