With the 2020 grape and wine vintage well underway, a reminder has been issued to all road users to help keep local roads safe to ensure this year’s crop gets from the farm to receiver points as intended rather than being spilled across the region’s roads.

Griffith City Council’s road safety and traffic officer Greg Balind said complying with relevant legislation and allowing heavy vehicles plenty of room while sharing the road not only ensures safety on the roads but minimizes the potential for fruit and juice spills across the road network.

“In the past several seasons a number grape spills upon our roads has resulted in other drivers losing control of their vehicles or being unable to safely stop at intersections,” Balind said.

“To ensure safety and cost minimization, operators and cartage contractors must comply with relevant legislation and ensure that overloading does not occur and loads are carried correctly within the confines of the relevant vehicle’s load restrictions.”

Enforcement will be undertaken across the region throughout the harvest to ensure vehicles comply with restrictions and that loads are secured according to the Chain of Responsibility (CoR) laws.

When a grape spill occurs and vehicles are identified, heavy fines can be applied under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act and any additional costs associated with clean-ups will also be passed on to operators.

Balind further advised that there is also a responsibility on other road users to give heavy vehicles the space needed on the road to make their respective journeys as safe as possible.

“Consultation with heavy vehicle representatives confirmed that there have been many occasions when heavy vehicle drivers have been ‘cut off’ or forced to take evasive action to avoid a crash due to drivers of smaller vehicles stopping suddenly or pulling out in front of a truck,” Balind said.

“Due to their size and weight, heavy vehicles obviously need more distance to stop and more room to turn so I urge all drivers to show courtesy and understand that the manoeuvrability of heavy vehicles is more extreme than that of a normal vehicle.”

Balind furthered that the community can also play a role in helping.

“We also ask the community to help by reporting any grape spills to Griffith City Council so as action can be taken to clear the road and remove the danger to other road users as soon as possible,” he said.