The westerns suburbs must have a united voice in tackling the
issue of trucks choking residential streets, according to long-time
campaigner Bruce Light.
Mr Light, a Yarraville resident and former WestLink Community Reference Group spokesman, said the belief ramps on to the West Gate Freeway would take 20,000 trucks off residential streets each day was unfounded.
He predicted the Truck Action Plan, first recommended by the
previous state Labor government, would create enormous and unsustainable
congestion on the West Gate Freeway.
Mr Light also argued there was a lack of detail showing the impact
of on-ramps and off-ramps on Hyde Street reserve and houses on the
south side of the freeway.
“You already have 170,000 vehicles using the West Gate Freeway each week day,” he said.
“Putting semi-trailer and B-double trucks back on to the West Gate
as a solution to getting them off Francis, Buckley and Moore streets
and Somerville and Sunshine roads will have the same, if not worse,
interchange problems that occurred at Bulla Road and Bolte Bridge
intersections.”
Mr Light believed the freight-container industry would continue to use local streets until the Westlink project was built, giving “trucks only” direct access to the Port of Melbourne.
“It was developed after 2½ years of
community and industry consultation,” he said. “A survey of residents
showed more than 60 per cent support for the longer tunnel under
Footscray.”
RACV general manager of public policy Brian Negus is also calling
for completion of the east-west link from the Eastern Freeway to the
Metropolitan Ring Road.
“This vital project connects the freight centres in the south-east to the north and west,” he said.
“It is, therefore, an important route for the whole of Victoria.”
