By Denise Deason
WYNDHAM City Council is urging the State Government to act quickly to identify and secure the land required to create a freight hub in the western suburbs before the opportunity is lost.
The council believes the best site for a freight hub, with associated railway access, is Wyndham, where many large industries and businesses are located.
The move has the support of the Committee for Werribee, a lobby group comprising leading local businessmen.
The Victorian Freight and Logistics Council has promoted the creation of primary industrial hubs to the west, north and south-east of Melbourne.
The hubs would provide a focus for road and rail freight movement and reduce the number of trucks on metropolitan roads, primarily through the inner suburbs to the Port of Melbourne.
A western freight hub would also reduce traffic on the West Gate Freeway, which is already operating at capacity. This would be a bonus for frustrated Wyndham drivers who daily battle heavy traffic congestion when crossing the West Gate Bridge to get in and out of the city.
The Department of Infrastructure has a freight strategy – a document for planning freight transport-related investments and regulatory, pricing and organisational reforms.
Part of the strategy is that suitable sites with the scale and position to meet the road and rail transport requirements need to be identified in the planning scheme and protected in the same way as airports and natural resources.
The State Government has an objective of 30 per cent of freight to the port being moved by rail by 2010.
The current figure is estimated as being between 13 and 15 per cent.
Wyndham mayor Shane Bourke said the identification of freight hub locations and their development should be a specific action of the Melbourne 2030 review.
“Projections from the Port of Melbourne indicate container trade will treble in the next 20 years,” he said.
“The development of freight hubs will enable increased rail use to the port and reduce truck movements within Melbourne.
“New freight and passenger rail opportunities are at risk of being lost due to insufficient planning and development of land.
“There is a need to identify the location of freight hubs now to protect the sites and plan for the required supporting infrastructure.
“Wyndham is home to some of the best-known major transport and distribution companies in Australia.
“That, coupled with sufficient land, makes it the ideal spot for the western hub.”
The executive director of the Committee for Werribee, Vin Keogh, said the group had identified access to the city from the west as a key strategic priority for Wyndham.
“We strongly support the council’s push for a freight hub,” he said.
“Trucks are a major inhibitor on the arterial roads network.
“If we can get trucks off the road and a better rail infrastructure, that’s got to be to everybody’s benefit.”
Mr Keogh said Wyndham drivers faced huge delays getting over the West Gate Bridge.
“The traffic congestion is nightmarish,” he said.
“It’s not just an exception any more, it’s the norm.
“You brace yourself every morning because you know there are going to be delays.
“Commuting time to the city would have increased by 100 per cent over the past five to 10 years due to the increase in population.
“The reality of life is that the peak hour, the traditional morning and afternoon peak, is now three to four hours.
“If you want to avoid the peak, you have to leave Werribee at 5am or leave the city sometime after 6pm,” Mr Keogh said.
“The first step in solving the problem is to get trucks off the roads.”
