Rutherglen Main St: Wine country community truck fears down Murray Valley Highway

Fears grow for pedestrians in border wine town with no solution in sight as trucks take out car doors and cyclists on narrow main drag.

Police believe it's only a matter of time before there is a serious accident. Picture: Cass Glover

Rutherglen is often synonymous with wine and amazing produce but it has an oversized problem.

For more than a decade the community has been living in fear about the dangers of trucks trundling down the town’s narrow main drag.

But the issue has hit tipping point with cyclists knocked off their bikes and car doors smashed from their hinges.

The fear of someone being killed is growing as the community urges authorities to act immediately.

The community has been calling on the state’s road authority to divert heavy vehicles from the main street either by building a bypass, creating an alternative route, or providing extra safety measures including speed humps, a signalled pedestrian crossing, and a speed camera.

In 2018, using a $4 million state and federal cash grant, VicRoads sought to find the best solution to get trucks out of Rutherglen.

There were three route options identified: upgrades to Murray Valley Highway — the main street, or two alternatives routes; Douglas, Reid and Scott streets, or Up River and Gooramadda roads.

While many in the community would like a bypass, but it doesn’t appear to be an option being considered by VicRoads.

Police Sergeant Brian Curran said safety was the town’s biggest concern.

“The idea is to get the trucks removed from the main street, as it’s very narrow, and the truck drivers themselves don’t like driving up there as there’s little room to move,” Sgt Curran said.

“We haven’t had a serious collision there yet but it’s a matter of time I’d say.”

He said safety concerns for truck drivers were pedestrians and people trying to park.

“Ideally we’d like to see the trucks rerouted on a brand new road somewhere but obviously that won’t happen because of the cost,” Sgt Curran said.

Re-Route Rutherglen committee member Roberta Horne has been campaigning for an alternative route for heavy vehicles for more than a decade.

“I’m particularly keen to see what traffic management strategies will be installed to provide safety for all road users and pedestrians,” Ms Horne said.

“I believe it’s the liveability of a town that ensures its economic and social development.”

Newsagent owner and resident Dianne Taborsky said Main St could be truly terrifying when trying to park, especially if there were trucks coming from both directions at the same time. Ms Taborsky said she can see things from both perspectives as the owner of the Main St newsagent, as well as a home on Up River Rd.

“I came to Rutherglen to have a nice peaceful lifestyle, and if there are extra trucks coming up the road there’s the noise and the vibrations,” she said.

“From my property you’re trying to pull out in front of trucks in a 100km zone.”

Ms Taborsky said upgrades were a possible answer to improve safety on Main St.

“People are concerned the trucks are going too fast, so they could implement speed cameras or speed bumps or something like that, rather than the one-dimensional speed bumps we have now,” Ms Taborsky said.

Francis Transport owner Mark Francis, who also lives in Rutherglen, said the community needed to band together and stick to one route, as a bypass was not a realistic option.

“A lot of the issue with the Rutherglen folk is they have no agreement on what they want,” Mr Francis said.

He said the government did not have the money to work on a bypass.

Mr Francis said while Main St was the fastest route for trucks, drivers held concerns for the safety of pedestrians.

“People have had car doors knocked off, someone has been knocked off a bicycle, or it would be easy for a child to run out and get struck,” Mr Francis said.

“The anxiety is more for the pedestrians and people parking their cars.

He said the ideal answer was to have an alternative route where trucks are not impeded by stops or roundabouts.

“Trucks are getting bigger and bigger all the time.”

Vic Roads regional director Steve Bowmaker said the department was close to finalising a route.

“We thank the Rutherglen community for sharing feedback about safety and traffic flow in Main St as part of our Heavy Vehicle Route planning study,” Mr Bowmaker said.

“We have finished the third phase of community consultation and are now exploring final route options.”

Follow The Albury Wodonga News on Facebook to keep up to date with other local stories.