Lane restrictions on the Pacific Motorway (M1) will start 1 August as part of the Queensland Government’s commitment to improving safety and traffic flow, according to Main Roads and Road Safety Acting Minister Steven Miles.
“The lane restrictions will apply for a 60km section of the M1, between Springwood (Exit 20) and Robina (Exit 82 Southbound and Exit 79 Northbound), with trucks over 4.5 tonnes only able to use the left two lanes,” said Mr. Miles.
“The introduction of lane restrictions along this section of the M1 will help all vehicles share the road, reduce congestion, improve travel times and make the M1 safer for all drivers.”
Mr. Miles said the measure was announced in April as part of a suite of actions to reduce congestion, maximise capacity and improve the reliability of the M1 for the duration of the Commonwealth Games.
Other actions include reducing the speed by 10km/h from the M1/M3 merge at Eight Mile Plains to Logan Motorway interchange as well as from the Logan Motorway Interchange to Smith Street (Exit 66).
“The M1 between Brisbane and the Gold Coast is Queensland’s busiest road. It’s important to the success of the Games that we keep traffic moving on the M1,” he said.
“The national and international experience shows that when trucks are restricted from the right lane on motorways traffic flows more smoothly, there are fewer crashes and there is minimal impact on freight efficiency.
“For example, in the USA, truck lane restrictions have been implemented in South Carolina, where they resulted in 76 per cent reduction in truck-related crashes. In Texas, this initiative resulted in 68 per cent reduction in all crashes.”
Mr. Miles said trucks would be permitted to overtake other vehicles, if it is safe to do so, but they must not travel outside the left two lanes.
“A truck can of course use the right hand lane if they have to avoid a hazard or an obstruction.”
Variable message signs on the M1 have been promoting the introduction of ‘trucks use left lanes’ since early June.
The Queensland Government will review the effectiveness of the measure following the Commonwealth Games.