Hi Everyone,
I am posting this letter in the hope some of you will take 5 mins to write a quick note of support to the Minister and to Main Roads . Sorry this is so long but it is a big story and requires explanation.
When you first read the letter below you may think what the hell has this got to do with visitors to the area, it is a problem for locals.
Well not so it has an effect on every person who visits this North Kimberely area. Presently the trucks can only bring half loads of fuel, this means double trips, this in turn means the freight cost to fuel suppliers will double, this in turn means that you the customer will be asked to cover these extra costs, this will mean extra on top of an already high price.
Even larger trucks ( triples in fact) are permissible on the other half of the
Gibb River road and the
Kalumburu Road so removing ( double only) trucks from half the GR Road road is not going to mean that someone can not run into one. Personally I think there is more chance of running into a large coach which can attain speeds that the trucks can not.
We the locals are not advocating danger to road users either locals or tourists. We are saying this problem MUST be fixed.
Three months have gone by since Main Roads realised they didn't know the status of their own road and so far not even an inspection to list the problem areas has occurred.
I have a photo of main roads own
sign (still there today ) showing that the road is ok for 2 trailers, I just don't know how to post it here.
This whole saga is pathetic and it is in everyones best interest that funding be sought and granted and the problem fixed.
A couple of lines from any one of you to the people listed below (who are probably the ones most able to do something to fix this ) would be just great. In fact pass this on or send your letter to anyone you feel may help !
By the way I would also love a copy of any letter you may write as I am collecting all letters that are written.
I am putting this here because Main Roads have also mentioned they wished to hold a 'public consultation meeting' to see if the road should be upgraded.
Well you are all included in this.
What a total waste of time and money just so everyone can say it is an essential service and needs to be made safe for all users.
While you personally may not enjoy meeting big trucks on any road ( who does) please look at this from a wider point of view. These trucks provide an essential service to remote areas, including supplies for you the visitor.
Thank you all, Anne
Alannah Mactiernan
alannah-mactiernan@dpc.wa.gov.au
Peter Podlaha
peter.podlaha@mainroads.wa.gov.au
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Dear Joanna,
I am writing to you as customer relations manager for the Main Roads Department. I want to know just exactly what is happening with the
Gibb River Road from the
Kalumburu junction to the
Kununurra end.
I understand that you are enforcing a ban on trucks exceeding a certain length, this automatically bans all normal two trailer roadtrains from bringing our fuel supplies and taking out four deck loads of cattle for sale. It also bars contractors carting gear into
Kalumburu with large trucks, considering housing work is again about to commence at the community this will be very interesting.
The facts are:
(1) This road the only access from
Kununurra into the whole North
Kimberley and was built to service the stations and business along it, tourism use is a secondary event.
(2) Full access for trucks is essential to the livelihood of all people along the
Gibb River Road and also along the
Kalumburu Road ( to which the only access from
Kununurra is via the GR road) this road MUST be able to carry at least normal size two trailer road trains. It really should be upgraded to carry three trailers as it can from the
Derby end.
(3) The fuel company has today had to make a delivery to us with half a normal load, they are not going to continue to do so without drastically increasing the cost of the freight, therefore the fuel. They have already had to do this several times to get fuel to
Kalumburu and still have to deliver further supplies to the community there. They will also have to now return with a second trip bringing the other half of our load of wet season fuel supplies. This is doubling their freight costs and they will simply pass this on to all of us.
(4) This year Main Roads did major upgrade work to the GR road, you yourselves or your contractors used trucks that exceed the length limit.
(5) You have just spent millions doing up a section of the road surface and realigning the road ( a good job to I must say) BUT where is the point in all that money being spent resurfacing a section of a road when you have still failed to do the minimum work required at some other corners to make it useable by the essential traffic !
(6) We went through this nonsense about 15 years back, trucks were attempted to be banned then. Ernie Bridge followed through and due to the fact it was an essential service requirement, as far as we all knew the work was done and status was altered then to suit the need.
To be certain we have all, including yourselves and your contractors, been running trucks exceeding the limit you now say exists along that road ever since.
(7) I fail to understand how you could possibly justify spending the millions you just have on one small section of the road when this work and money has failed to make it suitable for it's required purpose.
A small part only of what you just spent would have probably solved what I understand are the few problem areas on tight corners where vision is restricted.
(8) Please find attached a photo I have just taken on the
Gibb River Road just near
the junction of the GR road and
Kalumburu Road. This is clearly a legal Main roads
sign and it clearly shows the road is ok for use by two full sized trailers. There is no other limit specified.
Have you been putting the incorrect signs on your own road for the last 15 odd years ?
(9) Your
sign at the
El Questro end of the road in fact shows three trailers and no other
sign showing any change or lessening of that status exists further along the road.
(10) This ban has been in force for weeks but your
sign is still there now. I have been away and when we drove home we saw not one but three trucks on that road that exceed the limit you now say exists. It would appear the fuel company is the only business that knows about the new rule and is abiding by it.
Considering your own signs advise otherwise this is not very surprising. Unless personally and individually told other users would not even know they were breaking the rules.
(11) The other stupid part to this is the fact that once the truck turns on the the
Kalumburu Road, which is nothing but a Shire of
Wyndham East Kimberely secondary access road, I gather they are again legal to pull two full size trailers.
(12) This ban affecting the fuel truck has already gone on to long. I rang and asked what was happening about 2 weeks back. As the fuel truck still can't bring the required fuel in the required manner I presume nothing at all has in fact been done to fix the problem.
This ban can not continue, you will cripple all the stations and Aboriginal communities dependent on this access road.
Perhaps one of the relevant responsible Ministers to whom I have also sent this email may be interested in helping us please by following through and getting a result to solve the problem. If I can get no action I will next involve the media who I am quite sure will have a field day with this one.
I personally can't credit the fact that your department has just noticed that it has been getting the road status wrong for 15 odd years.
We now have a ban on use of a road that is a hundred times better than it was 15 years back and has been consistently used by large trucks the entire time.
I suggest that a special money grant be arranged at once to fix the problem areas and the work started at once before the wet season prevents you doing so. You have already had about a month or more to get something happening, the present situation is intolerable.
We are all very upset about this and I look forward to a reply ASAP with a resolution to this huge problem for the North
Kimberley residents .
All in all it will not cost a fortune for you to solve the problem.
Thank you, Anne Koeyers
Drysdale River Station.