CLAIMS he had never been approached to organise meetings over Princes Highway problems have landed Member for Kiama Matt Brown in hot water.
After the Princes Highway was blocked at Gerringong for seven hours on November 6, delaying trucks that were unable to use alternative routes, Mr Brown last week pledged to organise a meeting between Transport Minister David Campbell and local transport representatives.
Scheduled for next Tuesday, the meeting will explore available alternatives when the highway is closed as police investigate an accident, and whether trucks could be allowed through crash scenes for a few minutes every hour or so.
Mr Brown has been accused of doing too little about the issue, with the meeting coming after years of accidents, delays and complaints.
Jayne Hitchcock from Hitchcock’s Haulage was angry that little had happened since transport operators met Mr Brown three years ago to discuss various issues including highway closures after accidents.
“It is about time Mr Brown did something,” Ms Hitchcock said.
“However simply arranging a meeting is not enough – the meeting needs to be followed up and a solution reached.”
She said she did not want to hear about a new highway route from Gerringong to Bomaderry, or about problems overcoming different responsibilities among the three levels of government.
“I want to hear about all levels of government working together and finding a solution in a timely fashion.”
Mr Brown responded by claiming he had never before been approached to try to set up a protocol for dealing with accident scenes.
This is despite the meeting on October 27, 2006, in which transport operators presented Mr Brown with a booklet outlining a range of problems on the highway.
It addressed the issue of the highway being closed for up to 20 hours at a time following a fatal accident, often leaving trucks stranded because of the lack of alternative routes.
“It is the responsibility of the State Government to have contingency plans in place at these times,” the report stated.
It recommended Mr Brown chair a high-level meeting involving council, the RTA, NRMA and police.
It suggested discussing whether Gerroa and Bolong roads could be used as an emergency alternative only when the highway was closed, and whether trucks could be allowed through accident scenes for a few minutes at regular intervals.
Questioned about the meeting, Mr Brown refused to acknowledge discussions about alternative highway routes or protocols for dealing with accident scenes took place.
“All I can say is representations were made, meetings were held, and we achieved quite a lot in terms of extra truck stopping areas, which was the main point of the meeting,” Mr Brown said.
Woman trapped in collision with tree
A WOMAN was badly injured when the car she was driving hit a tree at the southern entrance to Gerroa on Monday afternoon.
The 63-year-old woman was driving north on Gerroa Road when her car crossed to the wrong side of the road and slammed into the tree about 4pm.
Police believe the woman may have lost control of her vehicle after suffering a fit.
Emergency services worked to free the woman, who was then transferred to St George Hospital by air ambulance.
She was suffering from spinal injuries, a fractured thighbone, fractured breastbone and broken ribs, and was in a serious but stable condition.
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