Despite the Thorne Road section of the Southern Industrial Link being officially opened in February, Griffith truckies may risk getting slapped with a hefty fine and demerit point deductions if they drive a B-double on the new road.
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A break down in communication between agencies leaves the water murky over the road's B-double ratings, with Griffith City Council saying the process is now out of their hands until they receive a response from National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR).
Yet when approached by The Area News, an NHVR spokesman said the road was listed on Roads and Marine Services (RMS) website as being B-double rated but hadn't appeared on their system yet - nor is it on Google maps.
Griffith's Robert Smith, with many years on the road as a truckie and as transport manager, says he has never seen a road opened without being rated beforehand, especially not one specifically designed and funded for heavy vehicles.
"You get all this money for a road to get the big trucks out of the town centre, and yet they still can't drive on it," Mr Smith said.
"It's a great initiative - it will make a huge difference, but generally when you open the road you should be able to drive on it immediately."
The sentiment was echoed by others in the freight business around town, some even going as far as saying it was a "monumental stuff up".
Council's director of operations and infrastructure Phil King said they were awaiting a response from the NHVR.
"Council sent an application for the new road between the Bagtown Roundabout and Kidman Way and Thorne Road Roundabout to be approved for use by B-Doubles on 8 February and is yet to receive a response," Mr King said.
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While Mr Smith said general practice was to check a road for it's ratings before travelling, truckies could get slapped with a $1500 fine and lose demerit points if caught on a road not rated for B-double use.
Mr King said all current B-Double routes in NSW are published online by the RMS, negating the necessity for signing the road.
"Generally signs are not installed as drivers are expected to be familiar with the online mapping," he said.
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