Truck tsunami along Bass Coast

THE Victorian Government report: Extractive Industries in South Gippsland-Supply Chain Study 2019, provides a warning to everyone living along the Bass Coast today. It predicts a rapid increase in 40 tonne gravel trucks moving crushed rock from Leongatha to Greater Melbourne along the Bass Highway.

South Gippsland has been prioritised by the Victorian Government to supply much of the crushed rock and gravel needed for construction works in Greater Melbourne. A projected 21 million tonnes per year of crushed rock is expected to be transported from the only available hard-rock quarry in South Gippsland at Leongatha South. This will be achieved by up to 5000 truck movements per day, running 24/7. 5000 heavy truck movements per day will move from Leongatha South via Inverloch-Wonthaggi-Dalyston-Kilcunda and Grantville to and from Melbourne.

This catastrophic volume of heavy trucks will not reach 5000 movements per day until 2050 but it has already started and the consequences have not been addressed by government at any level yet.

Consequences include the mechanical destruction of the existing Bass Highway, extreme hazards to local traffic and pedestrians as well as the health issues of noise, sleep loss and air pollution.

All levels of government need to be challenged and urged to find a less destructive alternative to supplying construction materials to Melbourne. We could start with the upcoming Local Government elections in October this year.

Edward Minty, North Wonthaggi