BUSINESS owners are divided about Horsham Rural City Council's proposal to divert trucks away from the the centre of town and along alternative roads.
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Responses in the Horsham Urban Transport Plan engagement report showed 60 per cent of people wanted council to prioritise reducing freight movement through the main streets of Horsham but businesses who would be impacted by the change hold mixed opinions.
The council's draft plan includes a proposal to signpost the existing B-double (truck and trailer) route of Golf Course Road, Horsham-Noradjuha Road, Natimuk Road, Curran Road, Geodetic Road, Gatehouse Road, Henty Highway as a short term alternative for a preferred route for heavy vehicles.
Wastebusters Recycling Horsham director Mick Morris' business fronts onto Golf Course Road, one of the alternate routes Council is suggesting trucks use instead of driving through streets in the town centre.
He said the draft plan "wasn't ideal" as the road already had a lot of heavy traffic from trucks and an increase could be dangerous for his clients.
"There's usually a car coming in every two or three minutes to drop off recycling matter," Mr Morris said. "An increase in that sort of (freight) traffic here could lead to the high risk of an accident."
Mr Morris said he had attended a few community workshops about the draft plan but they just left him feeling more confused and that there was a need to commit to the Western Highway bypass sooner rather than later.
"They (Council) need to make a plan on paper that makes the options clear," he said.
Buildpro Horsham manager Craig Klemm said he wasn't too concerned about more trucks using Golf Course Road and supported the draft plan to reduce freight movement through the centre of Horsham.
"Easing the pressure by getting trucks out of town is a good thing," he said.
Victorian Farmers Federation Wimmera branch president Graeme Maher said Horsham was in a predicament with competing pressures on roads and infrastructure.
He said the size and frequency of heavy transport would only continue which damages roads and leads to safety concerns for small vehicles and pedestrians.
Mr Maher said he was most alarmed about the lack of space next to the train line for trucks heading east along Dimboola Road and that a number of intersections were not equipped to support more than one B-double turning.
Mr Maher said that there had been no real consideration for large transport in the draft plan and there was a need in the near future for a bypass.
Horsham Rural City Council infrastructure director John Martin said issues of truck movements through town have been considered and a number of recommendations have been made in the draft plan.
He said the draft plan detailed a potential site for an alternative heavy vehicle route but that the state government would also need to review it.
The draft plan states that "the extremely high cost of the bypass, as previously mooted, and the length of time it may take before it is built, creates considerable uncertainty for Council and the community".
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Mr Martin said the draft plan had recommendations for other shorter-term strategies to help manage the heavy vehicle route network.
One of the other recommendations in the plan was to collaborate with Regional Roads Victoria to implement the upgrade of the Horsham Noradjuha Road as identified in the Wimmera Southern Mallee Regional Transport Strategy, with priority given to the length between the Wimmera Hwy and Three Bridges Rd, including provision for Heavy Vehicle turning at these intersections.
Mr Martin said Council was very keen to get feedback on actions and priorities for consideration.
"Once the exhibition period concludes the community feedback will be considered and assessed with a view to finalising the document and prioritising the actions within," he said.
Mr Martin said people could lodge feedback on the draft plan until December 9 through the Have Your Say section of the Council website, or by completing a paper copy form.
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