A BARNAWARTHA truck driver has spoken out against a petition calling for B-doubles to stop using the Barnawartha-Chiltern Road.
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Bill Hancock yesterday said drivers were already going “out of their way” to minimise any danger and noise their trucks caused residents.
A petition with 125 signatures — and another 40 names collected by another resident — was tabled at Indigo Shire’s September 23 meeting.
Resident Jonathan Riley launched the petition which has raised safety concerns about trucks passing houses and a primary school and using a residential street as a short- cut to the Hume Freeway.
Mr Riley is also concerned about there being no pedestrian walkway at the Frying Pan Creek Bridge which was often used by trucks.
Indigo Shire’s Cr Don Chambers last week said the council would consider the petition.
Mr Hancock, who has driven B-doubles for the 11 years he has lived in the town, said drivers took safety precautions.
“We minimise movements by parking on the side of the freeway on the Barnawartha overpass,” he said.
And because driver change-overs were done on the Barnawartha overpass, there was no B-double trucks driving regularly through town, meaning there was no danger to any residents.
Mr Hancock said the truck drivers were only trying to do their job.
“The B-doubles only use the Barnawartha-Chiltern Road to access the truck owner’s property at weekends,” he said.
Mr Hancock also said the concerns about Frying Pan Creek Bridge were unfounded.
“In all my 11 years of crossing that bridge, either in a B-double or car, I have never seen a pedestrian on it,” he said.
“If someone was on the bridge, a driver would wait for them to go across — it’s commonsense.
“We really are no danger to anyone.”