THE Maribyrnong Truck Action Group has criticised the State Government’s allocation of $19.2 million for a bypass in the City of Port Phillip.
The bypass is expected to reduce truck traffic by 50 per cent through the residential areas of Williamstown Rd.
The new route would result in the upgrade of Graham St, north of Williamstown Rd, and Plummer St between Graham and Prohasky streets.
Upgrades will also involve extending Prohasky St to connect to the West Gate Freeway ramps near the Shell service centre.
John Thwaites, MP for Albert Park and the Deputy Premier, announced the plan on 13 June, with transport minister Peter Batchelor.
Mr Batchelor said the bypass would provide a more direct freight link from Melbourne’s southern areas to the West Gate Freeway.
He said funding for the project was part of the State Government’s Meeting Our Transport Challenges plan.
“It will invest $10.5 billion over 10 years into the Victorian Transport network,” he said.
Peter Knight, president of the action group, said the truck traffic problems in the City of Maribyrnong were far worse when compared with the City of Port Phillip.
Mr Knight called on the government to direct attention to these issues.
“The problems over there are nowhere near as bad as in Yarraville,” he said.
“Williamstown Rd, Port Melbourne, is industrial along the whole length on one side, unlike Francis St and Somerville Rd, Yarraville, which are lined on both sides with houses.
“In the case of Somerville Rd, schools and kindergartens line the street.
“It’s just so blatantly about buying votes.
“Labor has proved once and for all that it cares nothing for residents’ health, safety and amenity in safe seats like Maribyrnong.”
State Member for Footscray Bruce Mildenhall said such a complaint was like “comparing apples with oranges”.
He said there was a “clear solution” as to how residents complaints in the City of Port Phillip could be addressed.
But he said residents concerns about trucks using Francis St were not so easily addressed.
“I think that the main difference is that VicRoads, the Council, the Government and the community, had a clear answer to the problem down there.
“They had a design, they had it costed, they had it all ready to go,” he said.
“It was just a matter of getting the money for it, and I think you are comparing apples with oranges here because we don’t have a clear solution to it.
“There’s no sort of magic bullet for Francis St.
“I don’t think it’s reasonable to say, just because $19 million has been allocated to Port Melbourne, that that’s fixed that problem. That $19 million can be allocated to Maribyrnong and that will fix that problem.”
Maribyrnong mayor Janet Rice said a plan to fix the Francis St problem has been discussed.
“I’ve had discussions with Bruce about Hyde St in the past year,” she said.
“I understand there was a firm proposal similar to what is planned for Plummer St Bypass.
“For there to be access ramps on to the West Gate Freeway from Hyde St – that was being seriously considered in the past six months.”
Mr Knight also believed a Hyde St bypass was on the cards.
“It was touted even by Bruce right up until they announced the liveability statement,” he said.
“Bruce gave me the impression that he thought it would be in the transport and liveability statement, and therefore I presumed that they made the plan.
“It has been on the books for years that plan. It was for an exit of the West Gate Freeway that joined Hyde St to take the traffic off Francis St and on to the docks.”
Mr Knight asked, if it was a question of planning, why hadn’t a strategy been developed in the past three years under the Inner West Integrated Transport Strategy.
“Where did all the money go that they spent on the inner west transport strategy that went for years” he said.
“They spent millions and millions of dollars, and then they spent millions more on the transport and liveability study, and now they have announced another study. I mean, this just beggars belief,” Mr Knight said.
