Building developers to be charged for blocking Melboure road lanes
DEVELOPERS will be charged thousands of dollars for clogging up busy roads under a new congestion-busting trial to be rolled out this week.
VIC News
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DEVELOPERS will be charged thousands of dollars for clogging up busy roads under a new congestion-busting trial to be rolled out this week by the Andrews Government.
From Friday, private companies who block lanes of traffic or occupy road space in the City of Yarra will be forced to pay a weekly fee for disrupting the network.
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The charges, from $1200 to $1865 per lane, will be scaled, based on the impact of construction on motorists and have been set in consultation with the state’s Valuer-General.
The trial will last for three months and could then be rolled out to other municipalities across Melbourne to prevent developers needlessly shutting down roads.
“Drivers know how frustrating it is when construction clogs up road space, shutting lanes and causing bottlenecks across important routes — this trial will encourage them off the road, where possible, to keep traffic moving,” Roads Minister Luke Donnellan said.
“This lane occupancy trial will charge people who make a profit out of blocking important public roads and traffic lanes which should be kept free for everyone to enjoy.”
Most local governments presently charge private companies for setting up site works or construction equipment in traffic lanes, but the state government does not collect any fee for the impact of this work on arterial roads.
Revenue from the trial will be funnelled back into the network by funding road surveillance teams, improving safety and boosting CCTV coverage.
“Road occupancy charging has been successfully trialled in London, boosting traffic flow by 21 per cent and reducing congestion on heavily trafficked routes where a road occupation charge is in place — and we’re confident of similar positive results,” VicRoads deputy chief executive Robyn Seymour said.
Hoddle St, one of Melbourne’s worst bottlenecks, is in the City of Yarra, while Swan St, Bridge Rd, Victoria St and Johnston St also create headaches for commuters.
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