World-first technology used for Greenmount Hill arrester bed

10/3/95

Transport Minister Eric Charlton said today that Main Roads had used world-first technology for the Greenmount Hill vehicle arrester bed.

Mr Charlton today inspected the arrester bed at the foot of Greenmount Hill on Great Eastern Highway.

The arrester bed is the only one of its kind in the world capable of stopping heavy haulage vehicles, and it is the latest improvement to traffic safety conditions on Greenmount Hill.

Located near the foot of the hill in Stuart Park, west of Coongan Avenue, the arrester bed is a direct entry design capable of stopping large vehicles such as B-double and truck and trailer combinations up to 64 tonnes.

"It is designed to stop heavy haulage vehicles in emergency situations and was built after more than 12 months of design and testing by Main Roads," Mr Charlton said.

"Main Roads engineers have achieved a world first in this exercise.

"International trends in arrester bed construction are to use full or half width side entry beds which are effective with lighter vehicles at low speed.

"Because there was no available information, either nationally or internationally, on arrester beds capable of stopping heavy vehicles at high speed, Main Roads had to start from scratch.

"The trials conducted at the Gnangara testing site are the only ones in the world that incorporated B-doubles and truck trailer combinations."

Provision of the arrester bed was the central component of a $2.6 million package of safety improvements on Greenmount Hill ordered by Mr Charlton and funded by the Commonwealth.

Other safety improvements include:

·       construction of bus bays to take stopping MetroBuses off the Highway;

·       introduction of new requirements for drivers of heavy vehicles to stop at the top of Greenmount Hill to check brakes and load and engage a low gear;

·       new signing, improved signing and advance amber warning lights on the western approach to the hill to warn truck drivers of the steep descent, the stopping requirement and to engage a low gear; and -

·       production of a video aimed at informing the transport industry of the arrester bed and new conditions.

Mr Charlton said copies of the video would be distributed to motoring organisations, trucking companies, shires and training centres.

He said approvals were nearly in place for lowering the heavy vehicle speed limit down Greenmount Hill.  Under the proposal, which had industry agreement, vehicles with a gross weight of 22.5 tonnes or more would be restricted to 40 kilometres an hour down the hill - half the current limit.

Also, Mr Charlton said two more bus embayments were planned to take MetroBuses off the main carriageway and two minor roads intersecting Greenmount Hill would be closed off.

Media contact:  Dean Roberts 321 7333