Picker/machinery movement restrictions lifted over Easter

21 Apr '11

5 min read

Cotton Australia has successfully negotiated exemptions from travel restrictions usually applied over the Easter holiday period. These are the details for each state.

NSW

NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay has announced an exemption from the 2011 Easter travel restrictions for the NSW cotton industry.

Mr Gay said the exemption had been put in place to help the cotton industry manage a bumper season and takes into account the expected high volume of traffic during the Easter holiday period and the need to ensure the safety of all road users.

The NSW RTA is providing an exemption allowing oversize vehicles involved in the 2011 cotton harvest and operating under the Class 1 Oversize Notice or the Class 1 Permit (ie cotton harvesting equipment being floated) to travel on the Newell Highway for three days of the five-day long holiday period.

Under the exemption, operators will be able to travel on the Newell Highway from sunrise on Friday 22 April to sunset on Sunday 24 April. These days would normally be prohibited for highway travel by all oversize vehicles covered by the Notice or Permit. The exemption will not apply on ANZAC day 25 April or on Tuesday 26 April.

It is important to note that east of the Newell Highway and across the rest of NSW the Easter Holiday Period oversize vehicle restrictions will apply from sunrise on Friday 22 April 2011 to sunset on Tuesday 26 April 2011. During this period the movement of oversize vehicles is not permitted on highways and on some key regional roads.

The Easter restrictions apply to oversize agricultural vehicles, oversize loads and oversize special purpose vehicles.

The restrictions have been in place for many years and include:

• General class 1 oversize (Agricultural vehicle) Notice 2007
• Class 1 Oversize (Load carrying vehicle) 2007, for vehicles less than 3.5 metres wide
• Class 1 Oversize (Special-Purpose Vehicle) Notice 2007.

Oversize Cotton Harvest Machinery in NSW

Class 1 Oversize cotton harvest machinery either operating under its own power or being transported on a trailer during the Easter holiday in NSW is subject to long standing restrictions that prevent their travel. This Information Sheet outlines the restrictions and provides an exemption for 'floated' machinery travelling on the Newell Highway over the Easter holiday period for the 2011 harvest.

Operating Conditions and Requirements

1. The current Class 1 Oversize (Agricultural Vehicle) Notice 2007 allows an oversize agricultural machine or agricultural combination not wider than 6.00 metres or longer than 25.00 metres to travel (walked) during daytime on and west of the Newell Highway during a Public Holiday Period provided that;
1.1. Pilots are used where necessary (refer to Appendix 1) at all times, and
1.2. When travelling on the Newell Highway at least one (1) Pilot is used for machinery or the combination wider than 2.5 metres, and NSW Police are advised and have no objection to travel (refer to Appendix 1).

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