10 July 2009

Unbearable truck noise

| bellaa
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Hello everyone, I recently moved to Canberra, and moved to a very “new” area (unknowingly – we are renters and had to make a quick decision based on website pictures).

We are woken at 6am every morning (even on the weekends) by the noise of trucks driving past our front door.

And I don’t mean moving trucks – I mean semi trailers and B-Doubles. They come past every 5 minutes or so, using their air brakes the whole way. It goes on like this til about 7pm at night. We have moved from Sydney where we lived under the flight path, and these trucks are worse.

We can’t hear the TV, we have to halt conversation….. it’s unbearable.

A whole new suburb is being built down the road, so it is going to be a very long term thing. And as we are renters, we can’t do much in terms of double glazing or planting trees to try and buffer the noise.

Is there anyone we can complain to? I am pretty sure that, as a suburban street, there should be regulations about the size of vehicle allowed (at least, there is in Sydney, but not familiar with the rules here).

I understand our street is a shortcut for the truckies, but I am sure they would know about the rules around using main roads instead of suburban streets. I mean there are little kids on our street that try to ride their bikes around in the afternoon – amongst the semi trailers! At the very least there must be some restrictions on using their air brakes????

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I very much doubt that they are using B doubles for constructions traffic, especially seeing that they are not permitted down Mapleton Ave.

What you are probably seeing is what is known as a truck and dog. Which is a smaller rigid tip truck with a trailer on behind it. I’m pretty sure there are no restrictions on where these can be driven, except for things such as load limits on certain roads and bridges which would apply to any vehicle.

andym said :

Hi Bella,
Are you sure about the B-Doubles? I think you will find that B-Doubles in the ACT are restricted to specific routes. So if there are B-Doubles then you may have avenues to explore….
See the attachment at (also has time restrictions noted) http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/143357/2009-28.pdf

Yep andym, they are. I must admit I had to do a google search because Trucks aren’t my area of expertise, but comparing the B-Doubles on the net and the trucks in the photos I have taken, they are one and the same. Not all of them – most are semi trailers with one or two trailers – but definitely some. And thank you very much for finding that info- very handy 🙂

And thank you to all the people who took my post in the correct way (a simple request for info!) and kindly gave your own time to offer me some advice. I am genuinely and pleasantly surprised at how kind and helpful some of you have been!

And may I just say to all the angry people out there (and sadly there are a few) … I was not /am not complaining about Canberra, where I live, or neighbourhood noise in general. I do not expect my street to be silent at all hours of the day (to be honest, that would freak me out – I like to hear that there are people close by). I was merely enquiring about the regulations in Canberra regarding what trucks can travel on which roads. I was fairly sure that some of the trucks coming down my street shouldn’t be (which andym has kindly proven is true).

I have a feeling that if things were happening in your neighbourhood that were against the regulations, you would all be up in arms. If a dog was barking 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, you would be the exact people who would end up calling the council and then harp on endlessly to your friends about irresponsible pet owners. If some hoons were drag racing outside your house at night, you would call the police and then put up a post on RiotAct about idiot drivers…… Clearly your life is so devoid of excitement that you get your kicks out of picking on nameless faceless people, because that makes you feel big, important and clever? How sad to be that angry all the time…. I suspect you would not react the same if we were face to face.

johnboythe3rd4:00 pm 12 Jul 09

You dont get many trucks in Holder.

Clown Killer said :

If living next to people who make noise is an issue I suggest something rural…

I tend to believe that the polite distance from your place to a neighbours is about 2.5km. You can run that far in an emergency, but otherwise unless the wind is blowing your way and they own dogs – you’ll never hear from.

Or

You live in suburbia and deal with whatever comes your way.

Can I get an Amen on that!!!!
Im sick and tired of people moving into houses then trying to change the neighbourhood to suit themselves. Here’s a little fact people: A COMMUNITY IS BIGGER THAN JUST YOU.

Or (I assume) you could not use DHA and rent privately in a place of your own choosing if DHA are giving such poor service

i would agree that to a certain degree, living where you do, that you should expect some road noise. but the types of trucks and the sheer frequency is fairly offputting.
on the plus side, if these are construction trucks, you can take some comfort that in time they’ll stop driving by. if they were goods trucks going to supermarkets and so on it’d continue indefinitely.
hope it gets better for you in time.

Clown Killer9:18 pm 11 Jul 09

If living next to people who make noise is an issue I suggest something rural…

I tend to believe that the polite distance from your place to a neighbours is about 2.5km. You can run that far in an emergency, but otherwise unless the wind is blowing your way and they own dogs – you’ll never hear from.

Or

You live in suburbia and deal with whatever comes your way.

deezagood said :

deezagood said :

If you don’t get any joy from DHA, and the noise really is impacting on your ability to function as a family, then there are other roads that you can go down (where DHA will be forced to relocate you, and pardon the road pun). If I am being too subtle (and you don’t know what I mean) – let me know. DHA have moved other families for less than you are enduring (noisy neighbors, noisy neighbor’s dogs etc…), and I have heard that they can be surprisingly sympathetic if you catch them on a good day!

Wow deezagood, I am jealous. I haven’t heard too many positive stories about DHA (nor have I had any positive experiences myself)… maybe they are different down here??

I might try them to see if they could put in some double glazing or something… it would ultimately be cheaper for them (although expecting them to use logic is a bit optimistic!). Despite some comments made on this post, we are actually happy with our place. We have a lovely new, big home with central heating (which I am totally in love with right now!). And we are only 15 minutes from the city – which I know is like living in a different city to some Canberrans, but having come from Sydney, a 15 minute drive to work is like a dream. We still laugh when people suggest we live really far away…. we lived in the inner city in Sydney and it would still take 30 min to travel a few kms!

Now if I could just figure out how to catch DHA on a good day….. 🙂

Hi Bella,
Are you sure about the B-Doubles? I think you will find that B-Doubles in the ACT are restricted to specific routes. So if there are B-Doubles then you may have avenues to explore….
See the attachment at (also has time restrictions noted) http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/143357/2009-28.pdf

bellaa said :

deezagood said :

Hey Bellaa,

I’m guessing that perhaps you are a defence family, and as such, had basically very little choice about your housing options. I really feel for you. If you are a defence family, then it might be worth contacting DHA and explaining your situation. If your are not defence, then I guess you have the option of moving at the end of your lease, and just tolerating the noise until that time (ear plugs sound like a good option). The other thing you could do is contact your local member and explain your plight. Perhaps even walk the street and get some other residents who feel the same way to join your cause.

Good luck – and please just ignore the arseholes on this site (there really are more decent people than arseholes).

Got it in one deezagood 🙂 I would definitely try DHA if I thought they would actually do something… but past experience tells me it would be a waste of my time.
But thank you for your suggestions! I have found most Canberrans to be really lovely – I guess some of the arseholes on this site are ex-queenslanders like screaming banshee… what a shame they have come to ruin your lovely city.

If you don’t get any joy from DHA, and the noise really is impacting on your ability to function as a family, then there are other roads that you can go down (where DHA will be forced to relocate you, and pardon the road pun). If I am being too subtle (and you don’t know what I mean) – let me know. DHA have moved other families for less than you are enduring (noisy neighbors, noisy neighbor’s dogs etc…), and I have heard that they can be surprisingly sympathetic if you catch them on a good day!

Being new to Canberra, you may not appreciate that by signposting your street as a ‘Dragway’, you are automatically entitled to a noise limit of 35dB, enforced by his majesty, Sonic.

Good luck.

You’re a Defence family! I say again – you should be up by 0600.

Swaggie said :

Stick large cardboard signs together with large red letters saying “Contruction Traffic Diversion” with arrows as needed. Place at appropriate intersections and divert offending traffic around your place – preferably past Banshee’s House 🙂

Hahahahahahaaaa…… love it

Dougal said :

Don’t lose heart Bellaa, us Canberrans aren’t all bad. Welcome.

Thanks Dougal! I look forward to meeting more Canberrans like you 🙂

deezagood said :

Hey Bellaa,

I’m guessing that perhaps you are a defence family, and as such, had basically very little choice about your housing options. I really feel for you. If you are a defence family, then it might be worth contacting DHA and explaining your situation. If your are not defence, then I guess you have the option of moving at the end of your lease, and just tolerating the noise until that time (ear plugs sound like a good option). The other thing you could do is contact your local member and explain your plight. Perhaps even walk the street and get some other residents who feel the same way to join your cause.

Good luck – and please just ignore the arseholes on this site (there really are more decent people than arseholes).

Got it in one deezagood 🙂 I would definitely try DHA if I thought they would actually do something… but past experience tells me it would be a waste of my time.
But thank you for your suggestions! I have found most Canberrans to be really lovely – I guess some of the arseholes on this site are ex-queenslanders like screaming banshee… what a shame they have come to ruin your lovely city.

Stick large cardboard signs together with large red letters saying “Contruction Traffic Diversion” with arrows as needed. Place at appropriate intersections and divert offending traffic around your place – preferably past Banshee’s House 🙂

bellaa said :

And thank you for “teaching me” that a simple and innocent request for information warrants a self righteous, judgemental rant from a self important bully.

Well said, Bellaa. Sadly, Riotact abounds in people who espouse the “I’m all right Jack, so screw you” attitude, and will happily inform you of how trivial your problem is and how stupid you are for bothering to post it. Then they’ll post a topic against people driving in the right lane (which is theirs, apparently), or something else that annoys them, oblivious to the irony.

Stick to your guns, try the government bodies first. Piloting the various departments for things like noise is a bit disheartening, unfortunately, but you might find someone who both knows the law and is interested in enforcing it.

Try your local member, and your local Greens member might also be worth a go, as they are generally more interested in environment and amentiy for residents over some bloke making money noisily.

Also, see if you can find any other residents who feel the same as you. If you can find the appropriate authority, having several people complain to them will get much better results than one solitary voice.

Good luck.

Hey Bellaa,

I’m guessing that perhaps you are a defence family, and as such, had basically very little choice about your housing options. I really feel for you. If you are a defence family, then it might be worth contacting DHA and explaining your situation. If your are not defence, then I guess you have the option of moving at the end of your lease, and just tolerating the noise until that time (ear plugs sound like a good option). The other thing you could do is contact your local member and explain your plight. Perhaps even walk the street and get some other residents who feel the same way to join your cause.

Good luck – and please just ignore the arseholes on this site (there really are more decent people than arseholes).

“I live in a ‘place’ which by it’s nomenclature indicates that I should be able to sleep soundly 24/7”

What, do you live in ‘Quiet Street’ or ‘Silent Lane’?

That sound you here is the point of the post rushing past you as you miss it. If living next to people who make noise is an issue I suggest something rural. I wasn’t aware driving on a public street via the shortest route is some special privilege that truck drivers have to gain. If they can’t drive through suburban areas (which all of Harrison is) what do you suggest, teleportation?

Beam me up

vg said :

Even the most cursory search of the internet would have revealed the potential for this sort of thing in that area of Gungahlin.

Mapleton Avenue. By its very use of the nomenclature ‘avenue’ you know its a major road in a suburb. Check some other avenues in the ACT, like Adelaide or Northbourne. All bigger than averages roads. Yes it is annoying, but if you had done the most cursory research you would have realised that that entire area of Gungahlin is a construction zone.

Proper Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance

Oh Blah Blah Blah.

I live in a ‘place’ which by it’s nomenclature indicates that I should be able to sleep soundly 24/7. A cursory internet search before buying my home did not inform me that most of my neighbours are tradies (bless them) that come and go at all hours of the day – even *shock* come home for lunch and finish early on some days. Perhaps I should have done some research and bought a home in a ‘retreat’ or a ‘loop’.

Ongoing construction does not automatically give truck drivers the right to take shortcuts through suburban areas. The “Beau and Jessie” Park in Banks is unfortunate proof of this.

Don’t lose heart Bellaa, us Canberrans aren’t all bad. Welcome.

bellaa said :

screaming banshee said :

Choosing where you live is a major decision, much research should be done. When I moved from Brisbane I flew down for a day to check out the place I ended up buying. Cost me around $300 for flights and car hire. Well worth the money, and it couldn’t of really been that difficult for you to do a little more research first.

And thank you for “teaching me” that a simple and innocent request for information warrants a self righteous, judgemental rant from a self important bully.

Zing! Well played Bellaa.

screaming banshee said :

Choosing where you live is a major decision, much research should be done. When I moved from Brisbane I flew down for a day to check out the place I ended up buying.

A whole day!

And they say only vegetables grow in the sunshine (Queensland).

Even the most cursory search of the internet would have revealed the potential for this sort of thing in that area of Gungahlin.

Mapleton Avenue. By its very use of the nomenclature ‘avenue’ you know its a major road in a suburb. Check some other avenues in the ACT, like Adelaide or Northbourne. All bigger than averages roads. Yes it is annoying, but if you had done the most cursory research you would have realised that that entire area of Gungahlin is a construction zone.

Proper Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance

Bella. You are a newbie around these parts? Abuse and bullying on newbies are par for the course on RiotAct. I await you being honoured with the Flame of the Week award and then everything in the universe will be fine.

Mike Bessenger9:51 pm 10 Jul 09

bellaa, I’d persue with the authorities. they had similar problems on stocktill dr in holt when they started building west macgregor. What the department did was put weight limit signs up 3t i think, and id construction traffic use it they get fines i assume, so now they all use southern cross drive.

screaming banshee9:45 pm 10 Jul 09

Woody, can we amend that to Gungahlin. FAIL

Well how nice for you to have the luxury of time and cash to do that research… unfortunately we did not; we basically got what we were given.
You got given something…. Gift Horse->Mouth.

And we are a shortcut. I think you will find they could drive straight down the Federal Highway and turn right at Flemington Road, bypassing any residential areas.

You are assuming they are all coming down the federal highway

And thank you for “teaching me” that a simple and innocent request for information warrants a self righteous, judgemental rant from a self important bully.
Your welcome.

flag_elation_fanatic9:20 pm 10 Jul 09

Hey bellaa

Since you can’t stop the trucks you’ll have to think laterally. Most of last year I was in a situation where trucks intruded all night. I bought a pack of earplugs, the type that you roll and squeeze and insert in the ear. Once I learnt how to get them right in, (a drop of water in the ear did the trick) all noise blissfully disappeared. A good alarm clock still got through the plugs but the truck noises were sufficiently muffled so that I slept right through the night.

Woody Mann-Caruso9:09 pm 10 Jul 09

Northside. FAIL

Ryan said :

bellaa said :

Skidbladnir said :

So others may also derive some kind of benefit from your story, where exactly is this terror noise zone?

Mapleton Ave, Harrison (Gungahlin area). The trucks are turning off Horse Park Drive and cutting through to Flemington road.

Probably doesn’t help that the Government recently installed “TO FLEMINGTON RD” signs underneath the “Mapleton Ave – Harrison” signs on Horse Park Dr!

Haha! You are right 🙂 Maybe I should ask for a big flashing sign saying “Please use your compression brakes here”
:}

bellaa said :

Skidbladnir said :

So others may also derive some kind of benefit from your story, where exactly is this terror noise zone?

Mapleton Ave, Harrison (Gungahlin area). The trucks are turning off Horse Park Drive and cutting through to Flemington road.

Probably doesn’t help that the Government recently installed “TO FLEMINGTON RD” signs underneath the “Mapleton Ave – Harrison” signs on Horse Park Dr!

screaming banshee said :

How exactly do you come to the opinion that your street is a shortcut. It looks pretty much like the direct route to the new housing construction and the intersection with Horse Park Drive is a fairly major one.

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?hl=en&q=mapleton+ave,+harrison&ie=UTF8&ll=-35.19434,149.160572&spn=0.003086,0.00478&t=k&z=18

Choosing where you live is a major decision, much research should be done. When I moved from Brisbane I flew down for a day to check out the place I ended up buying. Cost me around $300 for flights and car hire. Well worth the money, and it couldn’t of really been that difficult for you to do a little more research first.

Well how nice for you to have the luxury of time and cash to do that research… unfortunately we did not; we basically got what we were given.

And we are a shortcut. I think you will find they could drive straight down the Federal Highway and turn right at Flemington Road, bypassing any residential areas.

And thank you for “teaching me” that a simple and innocent request for information warrants a self righteous, judgemental rant from a self important bully.

screaming banshee8:04 pm 10 Jul 09

By the way, thats not caring. Thats telling you to put in a little more effort next time.

Woohoo three post nutbag

screaming banshee8:02 pm 10 Jul 09

How exactly do you come to the opinion that your street is a shortcut. It looks pretty much like the direct route to the new housing construction and the intersection with Horse Park Drive is a fairly major one.

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?hl=en&q=mapleton+ave,+harrison&ie=UTF8&ll=-35.19434,149.160572&spn=0.003086,0.00478&t=k&z=18

Choosing where you live is a major decision, much research should be done. When I moved from Brisbane I flew down for a day to check out the place I ended up buying. Cost me around $300 for flights and car hire. Well worth the money, and it couldn’t of really been that difficult for you to do a little more research first.

screaming banshee7:51 pm 10 Jul 09

If no-one tells you they dont care then you’ll never learn

LlamaFrog said :

and…

can’t help but not care.

And yet you cared enough to comment…..?

amarooresident2 said :

Try Road User Services 132281

This might be handy as well

http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/68643/Noise_in_Residential_Areas_3Nov08.pdf

Thankyou for that! It appears I may be able to lodge a complaint with the EPA…. not that I have high hopes of them doing anything, but it can’t hurt to try!

I’m thinking Gungahlin – particularly more towards Mitchell?

CapitalK said :

Do we have that many trucks coming into ACT that they come “every 5 minutes or so”?

Anyway start here http://www.tams.act.gov.au/ for all ACT issues

Yup, I actually got out the video camera and recorded at our front door (to prove the size of the trucks, the level of noise and the frequency) and in half an hour, we had seven. Sure, there may be “quiet” times, but it is generally very frequent. They are usually trucks going back and forth with dirt. They have been clearing so they can start construction I guess.

But thank you so much for your info – I will get reading straight away!

szeretetta said :

Those signs to limit use of compression braking are currently only suggestions – they aren’t legally binding, and as such, many truck drivers will ignore them.

I suspected as much…..

Skidbladnir said :

So others may also derive some kind of benefit from your story, where exactly is this terror noise zone?

Mapleton Ave, Harrison (Gungahlin area). The trucks are turning off Horse Park Drive and cutting through to Flemington road.

I once lived in a house at the only traffic lights on the major highway going through town, and at the foot of quite a steep little hill.

I really feel for you. Even if it isn’t every 5 minutes exactly, it surely feels like it.

Clown Killer5:42 pm 10 Jul 09

I sus[ect that those town houses up there would be pretty close to the highway, but yeah, not exactly what I’d call a suburban street.

The other place might be Campbell near the War Memorial, but who knows.

Yeah, but doesn’t that rule out ‘a suburban street’ and ‘past our front door’?

Clown Killer5:34 pm 10 Jul 09

My guess is the Federal Highway up in Watson somewhere – near where the old Starlight Drive-in used to be.

Oh, that’s so unfeeling… but I also can’t think of anywhere that could happen: where is there a hill big enough for the use of compression braking in a residential area?

LlamaFrog said :

and…

can’t help but not care.

+1. I’m struggling to figure out where this is if they really are driving right past this person’s front door.

And 6AM? Luxury…when I were a lad………….

So others may also derive some kind of benefit from your story, where exactly is this terror noise zone?

Those signs to limit use of compression braking are currently only suggestions – they aren’t legally binding, and as such, many truck drivers will ignore them. Compression braking is more effective and causes less general wear and tear on the vehicles than using their brakes, particularly for large trucks like b-doubles.

Also: for truck drivers, not B-doubles, there aren’t restrictions on where they can travel unless there’s narrow roads or weight limits.

Gungahlin Al3:29 pm 10 Jul 09

Ask Roads ACT to consider installing some of those “Please limit use of compression braking” signs coming down the hill.

sorry got distracted doing your research for you..oops

Do we have that many trucks coming into ACT that they come “every 5 minutes or so”?

Anyway start here http://www.tams.act.gov.au/ for all ACT issues

and…

can’t help but not care.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy3:13 pm 10 Jul 09

Would that be Watson, near the highway?

Sucks!

we ain’t got dem City like rules, Yeeehah! What’s the name of the street?

I’m pretty sure we have some noise pollution laws. Depends of the DB level, but maybe road traffic is exempt?

What suburb?

6 am! Time to be up.

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