Robbie Katter said town planning changes may be the only way to avoid dangerous dust levels plaguing residents on Duchess Road in Mount Isa.
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The Traeger MP said his office had received numerous complaints over the years about the increased, and unrelenting, heavy vehicle activity on the road from the truck site on the road and he had spoken with key stakeholders, including the site's owners, tenants Aurizon, and Mount Isa City Council, however it appeared all operations were within the guidelines set by local and state laws.
Mr Katter said there were serious risks posed by the uncontrolled dust levels to road users including children on bikes and it was impacting quality of life for residents.
"There is no problem with low levels of heavy haulage vehicles on Duchess Road, but certainly not in the volume that we have seen in recent times," Mr Katter said.
"Furthermore, that volume of yard activity without sealed hard-sand, that close to town, should not be accepted under the town plan.
"The owners are absentee, being former residents and the tenants believe they are operating within government guidelines."
Mr Katter said they had reports, including loads of photos and videos, of vast increases in dust levels from neighbours since Aurizon moved in.
"One report came from the public over the dirt being dragged onto the road from the 'wet-down' truck yard forming dust deposits that plume when vehicles pass," he said.
"This obviously creates a very dangerous situation for kids riding home on bikes along this road when the sun is lower."
Mr Katter said most of the freight from the yard was transported to Mount Isa Mines.
"Therefore, it runs through the bottleneck between the two schools on 23rd Avenue, creating further safety concerns," he said.
"Aurizon have been contacted but maintained they are operating within the laws therefore denying any social responsibility to the people of the city they operate in."
Mr Katter said he would write to Mount Isa City Council to ensure they were aware of his, and the community's, concerns.
The site is Mal Cleary's old yard and Aurizon took over the operation of the Duchess Road Depot in March 2020 as part of its acquisition of Townsville Bulk Storage and Handling and its bulk transport, handling and stevedoring services in North Queensland.
Aurizon have denied any wrongdoing saying they leased the land from a private property owner and they raised Mr Katter's concerns with the owner.
"Aurizon conducted a safety and environment audit of the property after the acquisition which found that Aurizon is meeting all required safety and environmental obligations for operations at the depot," an Aurizon spokesperson said.
"Aurizon has also taken a number of proactive measures to enhance its operations and to minimise the impact on the local community, including the lowering of truck speeds to below the legal speed limit on the approach road.
"Aurizon has been a key employer and part of the Mount Isa community for a very long time, and we take our social responsibility very seriously in the local community."
Mount Isa City Council were also contacted for comment but did not respond in time for deadline.
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