Delivery drivers have been walking orders across the Echuca-Moama bridge to waiting cars in Echuca.
Owner Mark Ludbey said his staff members were leaving their delivery vehicles behind in Moama during peak traffic hours — mostly on Fridays between 6pm and 8pm.
“It depends on where the bridge is at (traffic-wise),” Mr Ludbey said of the NSW Police Force checkpoint stopping people on the bridge.
“To take a car we can get over into Victoria quickly, it’s just the return trip which takes time and we don’t want all our staff stuck at the border checkpoint.
“We started doing this just to stay afloat and keep the customers happy.”
Now it's a well-rehearsed relay system that begins on the NSW side with a Moama-based delivery driver parking near the sound shell, walking across the bridge, handing the precious cargo (such as pizza, parmigiana and pasta) to an Echuca-based delivery driver waiting near the visitor centre, before walking back along the bridge footpath and being processed by police.
Mr Ludbey said the system worked because police processed road traffic and foot traffic separately.
“They will stop us and ask for a permit and what we’re doing, but because there is no queue on the footpath it’s a lot easier,” he said.
“We figured if it (traffic delays) was going to keep up we’ll buy a scooter, but the army are joining the bridge soon so hopefully things will start going quicker.”
As for his staff, Mr Ludbey said they found the situation funny.
“The ones walking think it’s a pain in the backside though, but our staff are used to me doing quirky things,” he said.
When the NSW border restrictions were tightened at midnight on Tuesday Mr Ludbey said Moama Pizza was still dedicated to serving Echuca customers — provided the police kept waving them through.
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