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Craig's Blog - What's happening at Membreys?
Melbourne is set to take over Sydney as the most populous city in Australia.
The 2016 census, released by Australian Bureau of Statistics, found Australia’s population has grown by 8.8 per cent to 24.4 million people since the last time it was measured in 2011.
With Melbourne recently taking home “World’s Most Liveable City” for the seventh year in a row, it is no surprise that the majority of new arrivals are flocking to the coffee, the culture and the general cool atmosphere of Melbourne.
Fast growth in an urban setting comes with a lot of opportunity alongside a need for infrastructure improvements to accommodate. The city of Melbourne is well aware of the needs associated with current and projected growth, and have responded with a large-scale, innovative upgrade of the heavily relied upon Monash Freeway. Read on to learn more about the upgrade, who is doing the work, and how it will benefit you.
Who is in charge of the upgrades?
Recognising the immediate need for an upgrade, the Victorian Government and Transurban have partnered up to plan and fund the improvements. At Membrey’s, we are thrilled to be working alongside the Victorian Government to ensure a better transit system for Melbourne residents, both now and in the future.
Where will the upgrades take place?
The upgrades will take place on a 30km stretch from Chadstone to Pakenham.
This area, also known as the M1 corridor, is critical to a huge number of Melbournians. This stretch of freeway is where over half of the Melbourne workforce is employed, where over three-quarters of Melbourne students study, and where one-third of Melbournians live.
Over 200,000 motorists use this stretch of freeway daily, with numbers expected to increase. In the past 10 years, the number of cars using the stretch has increased by 50 percent and the freeway has been at capacity during peak periods since 2010.
What will the upgrades include?
The benefits of this upgrade will come with the usual headaches of road construction. However, these will be minimised with efficient and quality traffic management solutions.
Below are the major improvements motorists will enjoy from the upgrade:
- Additional lanes
- New ramp signals
- New barriers
- Noise wall replacements and upgrades
- Improved lighting and drainage
- Widened bridges at eight locations
In addition, the following technological improvements will take place:
- New and upgraded ramp technology
- New and upgraded data stations which gather real time traffic data to feed into the freeway management system
How will the upgrades impact me and other motorists?
A lot of data collection and research has gone into the what and how of these upgrades. Once completed, motorists will enjoy the following benefits:
- 20% reduction in road collisions
- Reduced travel times
- Room for an additional 2000 cars in peak hours
- Room for 50% more vehicles on Hallan Pass
For you environmentalists out there, fear not! We have a comprehensive environmental policy to ensure motorists enjoy these upgrades without compromising the environment.
The Monash Freeway upgrade project began in September 2016 and is set for completion in 2018. The short term strains of construction on the freeway will result in long term gains of a faster, safer and more reliable journey on a previously congested stretch of freeway.
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If you have questions about any aspect of the implementation of this project, don’t hesitate to contact us for answers. In the meantime, start planning what you will do with the extra time you will gain once your commute time decreases with this new freeway!
Boom Logistics 160 Tonne Crane Body
Heavy haulage and transport are a major sector in Australia that keeps the country moving. Without it we would be lost. Read for a list of suggested safety tips for anyone in the transport industry.
- Safety First – safety of yourself and those around you is of the utmost importance.
- Defensive driver training – prepare for the worst, blowouts, being cut off or a tree falling. Drivers need to know how to stop fast and safely.
- Know what to do in an emergency – its important to know how to respond in an emergency situation, accidents or incidents can occur at anytime, a company with good safety policies will have a procedure in place for an emergency.
- Regular maintenance and inspections – this should be a no-brainer but it is imperative that all equipment is up to date and in working order.
- Road and situational awareness – being an aware driver, looking ahead at the road, the other vehicles and interpreting situations make driving a lot easier and safer.
- Drug and Alcohol testing – drugged drivers is an issue in the transport industry that needs to be addressed. Regular but random drug & alcohol tests are a must in any transport workplace.
- Avoid Fatigue – fatigue is a leading killer on the roads, proper breaks and log book maintenance are ways to monitor fatigue. Arrive Alive
130t Liebherr and 60t Liebherr Dual Lift Mobile Cranes
While cranes are equipment that make large jobs a lot easier, they come with strict procedures that must be followed to improve safety, maximise productivity and success. Here are 5 safety tips to consider when operating cranes.
1. Understand the requirement of the Job – each job is different so its important you understand all the requirements – even the little details.
2. Identify all existing and new hazards – staying safe means you need to identify possible hazards, some of the common ones include; overloaded cranes, improperly secured loads and falling materials.
3. Hire an Experienced crane operator – this may seem obvious and most hire companies supply the operator when you hire but you can still check their tickets and ensure they are in date and still relevant.
4. Comply with all Work Health and Safety Laws – this is also a given, most works may require pre-start checklists, SWMS, permits and other documentation to ensure the works conducted are lawful.
5. Perform daily safety inspections – you could have the best operators but if the machinery isn’t up to standard you are putting workers and anyone nearby at risk. Daily checks are an essential preventative measure.
50t Mobile and 2t Franna Recovery
The 200t Liebherr crane was out working last week on a new bridge installation, a job like this requires careful planning – as you need to consider multiple factors including but not limited to, weather, weight and dimensions, OHS issues, overhead wires, traffic limitations, permits and you need to consider others.
The Little Molap St bridge was installed smoothly and ahead of schedule. Nothing beats a well executed job.
Are you a avid collector of die cast models?
Membrey’s have a trailer included with the brand new ‘Fleet Series’ to be released by The Drake Shop later this year.
Along with the platform trailer and dolly you will get a hand signed certificate signed by Craig Membrey.
Perfect for any collection.
You can pre-order yours at The Drake Shop
Make It Happen!
Late Jan 2017 we were called out to remove a gantry along the Monash Freeway, the signage for the Cranbourne/Hastings exit.
The job took the team approx 6 hours to assess the work, hook up the gantry and safely lift it to the ground.
Works like this need to be done as soon as possible to reduce the amount of time the freeway is closed.
The crane used was our 130tonne Liebherr Crane plus our cherry pickers to do the rigging.
This removal is all apart of the Monash Freeway upgrade that is currently underway to widen the road and make the daily commute a little easier.
Make it Happen!
Rowan Truck
Craig got to have a chat with Owner Driver magazine at the Truckie’s Reunion.
Taken from article;
‘Owner//Driver chats to Hall of Fame inductee Craig Membrey.
This year’s National Road Transport Hall of Fame was extra special, with almost 300 names added to the Wall of Fame….
Owner//Driver attended the event this year, along with thousands of people from across Australia. We caught up with inductee Craig Membrey and chatted to him about his very special Kenworth truck.
You can read more about this year’s Hall of Fame in the October edition of Owner//Driver magazine‘
You can see the full story plus video here.
The team at Membrey’s would like to wish all our customers, suppliers and partners a Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year
This year was a big year for our team working on numerous tenders and projects for civil and construction.
We look forward to a prosperous 2017
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) this week released its first series of podcasts and fact sheets for the heavy vehicle supply chain as part of a national effort to boost safety for all road users.
According to Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister, Darren Chester, the new education material for the heavy vehicle supply chain showed that road safety goes well beyond truck drivers.
“Whether you perform the tasks of a packer, loader, unloader, loading manager or an executive of an organisation that performs these tasks, you have a responsibility for heavy vehicle safety,” he said.
“There have been cases where poor business practices, delays with loading or incorrectly packing goods has led to pressure on drivers and increased the risk of an incident.
“This new material will help make sure that all parties understand their responsibilities and how to go about preventing breaches of mass, dimension, loading, speed, restraint and fatigue laws.
“The six fact sheets and podcasts are steps towards ensuring all members of the supply chain recognise and fulfil their crucial role in heavy vehicle safety.”
The factsheets and podcasts cover common breaches of the law, the responsibilities of anyone who has influence in the supply chain, such as schedulers, packers, managers, providers and low-cost steps to make an operation safer.
NHVR CEO, Sal Petroccitto, said earlier this month more than 60 frontline heavy vehicle operators and key parties in the logistics supply chain met with the NHVR to test proposed standards for compliance with Chain of Responsibility laws.
“These education tools are an important part of NHVR’s Chain of Responsibility education program to be rolled out over the next 18 months,” Petroccitto said.
To access the new Chain of Responsibility fact sheets and podcasts please visit the NHVR website.
Article from; Prime Mover Magazine