Heavy Vehicle National Law
Heavy Vehicle Stated Maps – Suspension and Amendment Notice 2020 (No.7)
1 Authorising provision
1) This Notice is made under the following provisions of the Heavy Vehicle National Law:
a) Section 175, immediately suspending or amending the routes listed in Schedule 1 of this Notice to prevent or minimize serious harm to public safety or significant damage to road infrastructure; and
b) Section 174, cancelling or amending the routes listed in Schedule 1 of this Notice.
2 Purpose
The purpose of this Notice is to amend stated maps for vehicles at the request of road managers.
3 Commencement Date
1) Suspension or amendment of the routes in Schedule 1 under s1(1)(a) above commences immediately upon publication of this Notice; and
2) Suspension or amendment of the conditions in Schedule 2 under s1(1)(a) above commences immediately upon publication of this Notice.
4 Title
This Notice may be cited as the Heavy Vehicle Stated Maps – Amendment Notice 2020 (No.7)
5 Application
This Notice applies in all participating jurisdictions.
6 Amendments
The specified networks in Column 2 of Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 to this Notice are amended as specified in Column 4 for the Road Manager’s reasons shown in Column 5.
Dated: 20/11/2020
Jose Arredondo
Manager Network Access Policy
National Heavy Vehicle Regulator
Schedule 1: Table of Amended Routes
COLUMN 1 Authorising Provision | COLUMN 2 Network | COLUMN 3 Locality | COLUMN 4 Changes to Route | COLUMN 5 Road Manager Reasons for Change |
s174 and s175 HVNL | Queensland Access of certain Major Roads in Queensland
| Zone 3 Coastal | Addition of new condition Dimension limits on certain identified Major Roads in the Coastal Zone 3 Area as identified in table 21 of the National Class 1 Agricultural Vehicle and Combinations Operators Guide v5.5
| The level of risk has not changed on these roads and the Queensland Government Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) request that 4.0m access be specified for Major Roads in the Zone 3 Area from Gympie to Rockhampton (inclusive) due to traffic safety concerns. TMR has developed a table detailing Major Roads between Gympie and Rockhampton. It will specifically manage access on these roads up to 4.0m in width and will be required for inclusion in the Operator’s Guide. |
s174 and s175 HVNL | Queensland Access of certain Critical Areas and Critical Roads in Queensland
| Gold Coast City Council | Addition of new condition Dimension limits on certain identified Critical Roads in the Coastal Zone 3 Area as identified in table 22 of the National Class 1 Agricultural Vehicle and Combinations Operators Guide v5.5
| Both TMR and the Queensland Police Service (QPS) have agreed the maximum width of an agricultural vehicle operating in the Gold Coast City Council (GCCC) area on a Critical Road should be returned to 3.5m in width due to traffic safety concerns. The risk posed by vehicles encroaching on into oncoming lanes in high traffic volumes is significant. Further exacerbating the risk is that agricultural vehicles travel at speeds significantly lower than general traffic, the effect of this is, motorists will expose themselves greater risk trying to pass these vehicles with limited lane width to safely perform this manoeuvre. |
Schedule 2: Table of Amended Conditions
vCOLUMN 1 Authorising Provision | COLUMN 2 Notice | COLUMN 3 Locality | COLUMN 4 Changes to conditions | COLUMN 5 Road Manager Reasons for Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
s175 HVNL | National Class 1 Agricultural Vehicle and Combination Mass and Dimension Exemption Notice | Zone 3 and Zone 3 Coastal | The use of pilots instead of roadside signage Previous condition Critical Road • A minimum buffer zone of 0.5m from the centre line at all times (unless turning across a roadway). • Travel no more than 5km travel for a single journey. • Must be accompanied by one pilot vehicle. • Portable roadside warning signs must be placed: ― at least 350m in advance of the travel zone in both/all directions; and ― at any critical or major road intersecting with the road being travelled.
New condition Critical Road (unless otherwise conditioned) • A minimum buffer zone of 0.5m from the centre line at all times (unless turning across a roadway). • Travel no more than 5km travel for a single journey. • Must be accompanied by one pilot and one Level 1 pilot: ― Pilot vehicle must be positioned forward of the agricultural vehicle; and ― Level 1 pilot must be positioned between 500m–1,000m rearward of the agricultural vehicle to assist in mitigating the speed differential of traffic approaching from the rear; or • Must be accompanied by one pilot vehicle; and portable roadside warning signs must be placed: ― at least 350m in advance of the travel zone in both/all directions; and ― at any Critical or Major Road intersecting with the road being travelled. | This request for change was initiated by the Queensland Canegrowers Association, raising safety concerns in the deployment of the portable roadside warning signs.
The change introduces the use of Level 1 pilots as an option for roadside signage on critical roads in the Coastal Area of Zone 3.
The use of a Level 1 pilot has been introduced to mitigate a safety risk associated with the speed differential between agricultural vehicles and other traffic on Critical Roads. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
s175 HVNL | Zone 4 | Changes to Cotton harvesters piloting conditions and access to the Warrego Highway (between Henningsen Road Oakey and Dalby)
Previous conditions Table 10
New condition Table 13
| The exclusion of cotton harvesters under the 'width greater than 5.0m up to 5.5m', means cotton harvester restrictions on Major Roads in Zone 4 would be the same as any other agricultural vehicle of the same width (that is, the requirements for 'width greater than 3.7m' – 1 pilot; and 'width greater than 4.5m' – 2 pilots). This then leaves a gap in the requirements for cotton harvesters between 5.0m and 5.5m on Major Roads (>5.5m to 6.5m on Major Roads covered in Table 10); and no access on Critical Roads in NHVR Zone 4.
The previous Queensland Notice (the now revoked Form 14) required Police and 2 escort vehicles for cotton harvesters >5.0m up to 5.5m on Critical Roads in the previous Queensland Notice Zone 2 (these roads remain Critical Roads in the National Notice Zone 4 in Queensland). |