ALMOST 2000 truck drivers have been fined for flouting inner-west curfews since their introduction a decade ago.
VicRoads regional director Patricia Liew said her organisation worked closely with councils, the transport industry, local businesses and Victoria Police to manage the truck curfews.
“From 2002 to 2012, 1071 traffic infringement notices were issued for truck curfew offences on Somerville Road and 794 traffic infringement notices on Francis Street [both in Yarraville],” she said.
Maribyrnong Council and VicRoads are reviewing the curfews that have been in place in residential Yarraville streets since 2002.
The curfews appear to have forced extra trucks onto Moore Street, Footscray, where average weeknight traffic from 8pm to 6am increased almost five-fold from 110 per night in 2002 to 522 last year.
The volume is likely to increase as the state government and Port of Melbourne Corporation (PoMC) have flagged extra night-time truck movements to avoid traffic-plagued roads during the day.
Australia’s largest port is due to double freight traffic from 2.5million containers a year to more than 5million by 2025 – about 4million via Swanson Dock.
Addressing a business breakfast at Maribyrnong Town Hall on Thursday, PoMC chief executive Stephen Bradford said operators were embracing a shift to moving more freight at nights and on weekends.
“I support night-time and after-hours use of our freeway network,” he said.
Expansion of Webb Dock will be backed by a dedicated road accessing the M1, but movement out of Swanson Dock will rely upon a future east-west freeway link following the mothballing of the Truck Action Plan by the government.
Mr Bradford said the Port supported the existing road curfews, but he stopped short of indicating support for the Truck Action Plan to help link an expanded Swanson Dock with the West Gate Freeway.
Williamstown MP Wade Noonan said it was no surprise that the PoMC would not publicly push for the Truck Action Plan.
“I think it’s a cop-out for the Port to wash their hands of the issue of trucks and local communities. They are not there to advocate for the community; their objective is to not offend the Minister for Ports or the Minister for Roads.”
A spokeswoman for Roads Minister Terry Mulder said the east-west link would improve transport connections across Melbourne’s east-west corridor and cater for the predicted growth in freight vehicle traffic.
“The project would provide better access to the Port of Melbourne, particularly Swanson Dock, and improve local amenity, including a reduction of truck traffic in residential areas,” the spokeswoman said.
“Integral to the development of the east-west link will be a robust assessment of the project and the way it could integrate with other measures such as the Truck Action Plan.”
