More than 300 people packed into Blackheath Community Hall on May 4 to campaign against the possibility of 26-metre B Double trucks hitting the Great Western Highway.
The public meeting called by the Blackheath Action Group (BAG) discussed the proposed upgrade of the highway between Mt Victoria and Lithgow, which the Roads and Traffic Authority confirmed would be built to a standard that accommodates larger models of B Double heavy vehicles.
Keynote speaker and BAG member Michael Paag said unity across the Blue Mountains is needed against the highway becoming an official Federal Government Auslink road freight route.
“We want to show the Government and the RTA we are united and won’t allow others to dictate our future for us,” Mr Paag said.
“The Great Western Highway has 34 different speed zones, 10 schools front it and it is subject to black ice, snow and mist.
“We believe the Government’s approach does not take into account climate change or that the crux of our towns is tourism.
“It needs to take a more responsible and strategic approach.”
Concern was also expressed at the meeting about plans to upgrade the highway to mostly three lanes west of Katoomba and the implications for Blackheath residents and businesses.
A resolution was unanimously passed to call on the Federal Government to release the Central West Transport Needs Study and conduct an economic impact study on Blue Mountains Tourism before any decisions are made to upgrade the highway west of Katoomba.
Mr Paag said Member for Blue Mountains Phil Koperberg will organise a meeting for BAG representatives with the NSW Roads Minister and indicated he would support the campaign against larger B Double trucks in the Blue Mountains.
Castle Hill MP Michael Richardson, who is the current NSW Opposition spokesperson for the Blue Mountains, said the State Government must obtain better data before it starts building and expanding major roads across the Mountains.
Mr Richardson said an answer to a question in Parliament to Roads Minister Michael Daley revealed the number of semi-trailers on the Great Western Highway rose by 17 per cent since March 2005.
“If you asked me, my solution would be to upgrade the Bells Line of Road,” Mr Richardson said.
Federal Member for Macquarie Bob Debus told the Gazette the Central West Transport Needs Study “will be released shortly,” but did not specify a date.
In a letter to BAG, Mr Debus favoured both rail and road improvements being part of a transport strategy and expressed his belief that the highway should not be widened through Blackheath’s town centre.
On the issue of B Double trucks, he wrote “it is in no way a foregone conclusion that a future state government will permit longer B-Double trucks to use the highway.
“There is at present a local political campaign under way which seeks as a deliberate tactic to vilify me and to suggest in a rather silly fashion that I am engaged in some kind of B-Double conspiracy.
“My position is that I will support State Member Phil Koperberg in any representation he makes to the NSW Minister for Roads about the matter.”
Another public meeting about the highway upgrade, organised by The Greens, was due to occur in Lawson at the time of going to press.
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