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Motorway Debris Costing WA Taxpayers More Than $2m Per Year

Western Australian taxpayers are shelling out more than $2 million per year to deal with debris on the state’s motorways. The number of items that have fallen off cars and trucks or escaped the load areas of trailers has increased in recent


Western Australian taxpayers are shelling out more than $2 million per year to deal with debris on the state’s motorways.

The number of items that have fallen off cars and trucks or escaped the load areas of trailers has increased in recent years, and WA’s Department of Main Roads has now spoken out.

Motorways around Perth are the major concern, with Main Roads forced to collect more than 50 dangerous items each month.

Furthermore, the $2 million bill only accounts for Main Roads’ maintenance of road verges and does not include the costs of hiring contractors to collect and dispose of road rubbish. 

The financial impact associated with congestion caused by closed lanes while rubbish is being collected is also unknown.

Main Roads traffic operations manager, John Venables, said residents moving house and tradespeople were the worst offenders.

"We're finding things like buckets, ladders and wheelbarrows that fall off tradies' vehicles - that's our biggest ones," Mr Venables said, speaking with the ABC.

"It's just enormous the number of aluminium ladders that have come off vehicles. And you wouldn't want to hit a wheelbarrow, you'd certainly come off second best.”

Road Safety

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