Bluff residents raise concerns over influx of fuel tankers

THE residents said the road was meant to be an temporary route following the floods in April last year, which lead to Bayhead Road being damaged and closed. However, they said it has seemingly become a permanent route.

Michael Shapi, 64,who lives with his wife, and two children, said they have not had a peaceful night’s sleep since the tankers started using the road.

“At the time of the floods we understood that the road was damaged, but now that it has been fixed, what is the excuse? While it may be a shortcut to a nearby depot, the lives of residents are being affected.
“We have tankers every 10 to 15 minutes at all hours. Sometimes we are awoken with a shock when they go over the speed humps at a speed causing a loud noise,” he said.
Shapi said they did not previously have tankers using the road.

“I have lived on this road for almost 20 years and we would only have delivery trucks, or if a fuel tanker stops at the petrol station but that is only at the entrance and not often. It is also a major safety concern, what happens if one of the tankers collides with a speedster, who are not uncommon in the area, thereby resulting in fire and a massive explosion and lots of casualties.

“ Further to this, Imagine two tankers carrying highly flammable liquids colliding at high speed, because of the narrowness of the road or some other error. We need action now as we cannot wait for this happen. There shouldn’t be tankers on residential zoned roads,” he said.

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Victor Wilkinson, 68, said he was also concerned about the damages to the road infrastructure. “Our road was not built to carry the weight of these heavy vehicles like tankers and horse-and-trailers. Sadly, everyday the road is getting damaged. We have had massive potholes. While they are fixed, if these tankers keep driving over them, they will soon not be able to be fixed.

“Another safety concern is a school on the road. There is chaos in the afternoons when parents fetch their children, as these tankers drive through. What happens if they don’t notice a child crossing the road? God forbid that ever happens, but will it then stop?,” he said.

Zoe Solomon, the ward 66 councillor, said the tanker has a clearly signed route.
“They are aware to travel along Lighthouse Road and up Donegal Road, and not Island View. However, if they are offloading at the storage tanks in Island View they would have to travel along the road to reach there, this is part of Island View storage and had been for decades.
“In terms of the damages to the road’s infrastructure, sadly, due to the non-existence of rail, the trucks are the new transport for the development of the economy. One would hope that the roads department is compensated,” she said.

Solomon said residents have to take safety precautions due to living close to the harbour, which is surrounded by industry and bulk storage.
“It is dangerous, and every precaution has to be taken. However, I am told by Investpol, a truck accident investigation company, that tankers are checked monthly opposed to annually,” she said.

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