Protestors gather last weekend to try and get trucks off the streets. 70576 Picture: KRISTIAN SCOTT
By Charlene Gatt
GET trucks off our streets.
That’s the message from the droves of residents, traders and politicians who descended on Yarraville Gardens on Sunday to call on the State Government to build on and off ramps to the West Gate Freeway.
The ramps, first proposed in the 2008 Eddington report, creates a truck route that bypasses residential areas in Francis St and Somerville Rd and takes trucks directly to the Port of Melbourne via Hyde and Whitehall streets.
It is estimated the on and off ramps would direct about one million trucks a year away from residential streets.
In a major development, the Transport Workers Union has joined the West Gate Ramps Coalition in the bid.
“It is often thought that groups like Maribyrnong Truck Action Group (MTAG) are against truckies,” Martin Wurt from MTAG said.
“This isn’t true. We know that truckies hate using residential streets and want a proper 24-hour route to the port, and the fact that the Transport Workers Union is now on board with the coalition gives voice to this.
“These ramps are essential, especially given the projected growth of the port and associated container movements. They will be good for residents, good for truckies, good for business, and good for the environment.”
The rally follows an ongoing campaign by Labor MPs Marsha Thomson and Wade Noonan to get the Coalition Government to commit to the Truck Action Plan. The on and off ramps are a key feature of the plan.
The West Gate Ramps Coalition includes Maribyrnong City Council, LeadWest, MTAG, Less Trucks for Moore, the Yarraville Community Centre, Labor politicians in the West, The Greens, Bradmill site developers and representatives from the freight industry.
Meanwhile, the latest traffic counts released by VicRoads show that truck curfews are starting to reduce truck traffic on residential streets. VicRoads Metro North West regional director Nial Finegan said that despite a slight increase in overall vehicle numbers using Francis Street, there has been an immediate and significant decrease in truck traffic along Francis Street at curfew times.
“East of Williamstown Rd, the 2011 truck volumes have decreased by 46 percent over the past nine years and by 84 per cent West of Williamstown Road,” Mr Finegan said.
Mr Finegan said that truck numbers at curfew times in other locations, including Somerville Rd, Buckley St and North Rd have fluctuated from year to year.
