The head of the Victorian Transport Association is refusing to work with local activists on addressing the issue of truck traffic through the inner-west.
VTA chief executive Neil Chambers says he’s unwilling to side with the Maribyrnong Truck Action Group in finding a solution that could appease the freight industry and residents.
“They are a militant residential group,” Mr Chambers said. “At one stage MTAG’s beef was with the government, but now they are targeting the transport industry.”
His comments come as Footscray residents plan a “sleep-in” on Moore Street next Wednesday in a bid to win night-time truck curfews.
Residents in sleeping bags and blankets will occupy the road from 8-8.30am in protest against a five-fold increase in truck traffic in a decade.
Mr Chambers said inner-west roads “have been heavy-vehicle routes for 150 years” and the VTA refuses to deal with MTAG when it pulls a “media stunt”.
“It will have an impact on the freight industry. This is not a way to build stakeholder relationships.” The VTA supports the state government’s east-west link as one solution but says it would also welcome Labor’s commitment to building truck ramps connecting with the West Gate Freeway.
“We have always maintained that if the infrastructure is built, of course the trucks will use it.”
Williamstown MP Wade Noonan said the inner-west community was screaming out for a solution to thousands of trucks using residential streets.
“I don’t think MTAG in their heart of hearts want to block roads, but it’s the only way they can get their message heard.”
Maribyrnong mayor Grant Miles said Moore Street had become unliveable.
“We have encouraged VicRoads to do something for the residents of Moore Street,” he said, adding that he had witnessed two serious incidents in the area in the past three weeks.
Cr Miles said if Roads Minister Terry Mulder stood with him at that intersection for 10 minutes and told him he felt safe then he would “shut up about it”.
