Inner-west residents have a chance to share their views about truck traffic at a community forum tomorrow night.
Maribyrnong council is hosting an event exploring short and medium-term solutions to truck impacts and movements across the area.
Council staff will be joined by executives from VicRoads, the Environment Protection Authority and Department of Health.
Maribyrnong mayor Grant Miles told the Weekly anybody would be able to ask questions or raise their problems and have them addressed at the “open house” event.
“This is really a genuine attempt to get the ball rolling with action on trucks in the inner west; it’s certainly not a tick-the-box consultation session.
“I really do expect something positive to come out of this forum.”
Cr Miles said the EPA had been taking the issue more seriously, creating a “big spanner in the toolbox” for the future.
The forum comes as western suburbs Greens MP Colleen Hartland accused Transport Minister Terry Mulder of disregarding the community by failing to answer questions about the impacts of truck traffic in the inner west.
More than 12 months has elapsed since Ms Hartland presented her question on notice to the minister in relation to government proposals affecting truck movements in the western suburbs, particularly in light of the proposed east-west tunnel. “The government is showing disregard for the Victorian community by ignoring this key accountability and transparency instrument,” she said.
“The growing truck problem, public transport and traffic congestion are issues of utmost importance to the people in the inner west. The community deserve to know what the government is or isn’t doing in their community … what good is it months or even a year after decisions are made?”
A spokeswoman for the minister said there were more than 1100 questions on notice unanswered at the end of the former Labor government’s final term in office. “Since coming to office we have answered more than 14,000 questions. While the minister answers the vast majority of questions on notice in a timely manner, he does receive more than a thousand questions on notice each year.” \
» The open house is on Thursday from 5-7.30pm at Maribyrnong Town Hall, Footscray
