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LATEST: Residents fighting for a night-time truck curfew on a residential Footscray street remain hopeful of a breakthrough despite industry resistance to the move.
More than 100 residents, many in sleeping attire, staged a lively protest that shut down Moore Street last Wednesday.
The protest, organised by the Maribyrnong Truck Action Group (MTAG), follows other recent shutdowns of Footscray’s Shepherd Bridge and Somerville Road in Yarraville.
Speaking from a bed in the middle of the street, comedian Rod Quantock said hundreds of trucks driving past nightly affected the sleep patterns of residents.
“It’s a very important issue. They’ve been looking for a solution for years and they want a truck curfew.”
Less Trucks for Moore’s Scott Adams said the street was never designed to take large freight trucks.
“Our issue is not with the trucks’ drivers, it’s with the state government. All we are asking is for night-time curfews on weeknights so we can sleep and weekend curfews so we can get some peace with our families.”
MTAG’s Martin Wurt said protesters were being reasonable in seeking only an evening and weekend ban.
“I really think this is a social justice issue. We don’t come out and do this lightly.”
Maribyrnong mayor Grant Miles said Moore Street had become almost unliveable and the area was a “modern-day open sewer” with trucks pouring out diesel fumes into suburban streets.
Resident Ben Speth said he had seen a massive increase in the amount of traffic in the 14 years he had lived in the area with his family. “It should be pretty easy getting the trucks onto CityLink and out of the neighbourhood. It’s dangerous, noisome and carcinogenic.”
VicRoads regional director Patricia Liew said the agency had formed a working group with Maribyrnong council, the EPA and Department of Health to consider short and medium-term solutions for trucks in the inner-west.
She said as a declared arterial road, Moore Street’s primary function was to cater for all traffic, including trucks. “Restricting trucks on Moore Street would force trucks onto other, less suitable streets in the area and would not solve the bigger issue.”
A spokeswoman for Roads Minister Terry Mulder said he was awaiting advice from the working group.
