The Yarraville community has been successful in its campaign for a 40km/h zone on a busy truck route.
VicRoads will also explore rolling out new truck curfews on Moore Street in Footscray and Somerville Road in Yarravile.
A new 40km/h school speed zone will be created on Francis Street, near Wembley Drive and Wembley Primary School, in response to community pressure.
The decision comes as data collected on truck movement in the inner-west shows more than half of all truck traffic is travelling through the area without being on local business.
VicRoads chief executive John Merritt has told the second Trucks and the Inner West forum that VicRoads would now work on modelling to look at the flow-on effect of introducing new truck curfews.
Francis Street, between Gent Street and Hawkhurst Street, will have the speed limit reduced during school times from 60km/h to 40km/h from 8-9.30am and 2.30-4pm.
Over the five years to December 2013, there were seven crashes recorded at this intersection including three serious injuries.
Western suburbs upper house MP Andrew Mr Elsbury said the changes to this stretch of road come as a result of feedback received from the community at the first Trucks and the Inner West open house.
“Francis Street has over 4650 trucks and 7350 cars using it every day. The lower speed will slow traffic down and protect our most vulnerable road users, children,” Mr Elsbury said.
“I am pleased we have listened to the community and put in place this change to deliver improved community safety”
The changes include introduction of electronic variable speed limit signs.
Works are expected to be finished in September.
Western suburbs Greens MP Colleen Hartland said the detailed data on truck movement through the inner-west simply shows what the community has known for years.
“If the government had only listened when we first called for a curfew on Moore Street in 2010,” she said.
“Since then, night-time truck traffic has doubled. It’s having an unacceptable impact on the community.”
Ms Hartland said with truck numbers projected to double to 42,000 per day in 2025 urgent action was needed. The government cannot rely on the east-west link as its only response.
“Telling the community to wait another decade before this issue is dealt with is offensive.
“Relying on West Link, which is unlikely to ever be built, would be at least a decade off before one truck could use it. The inner-west will be choked with trucks.”
