A grants package has been designed to improve air quality in the west by modernising truck fleets and sealing local roads.
As part of the $20 million package, $15 million will target truck operators who regularly use inner west roads and make grants available to support a transition to trucks that produce fewer emissions.
The remaining $5 million in grants will be made available to councils to seal local roads, reducing dust pollution.
According to the state government , Melbourne’s west experiences significantly higher volumes of heavy vehicle traffic than other parts of Melbourne due to its high concentration of industrial uses, including empty container parks, and its proximity to the port of Melbourne.
To combat this issue , the government has said it is working with community and industry to reduce the environmental impact of heavy vehicles, while making roads safer for pedestrians by lowering speed limits and banning trucks on some roads.
Along with the grants package the other initiatives designed to combat the air quality include the completion of the West Gate Tunnel Project in 2025, as well as the introduction of truck bans will remove 9000 trucks from roads in the inner west and cut congestion for local communities.
Williamstown MP Melissa Horne said the grants are the next step in improving air quality.
“We promised we’d make air cleaner in Melbourne’s inner west and that’s what we’re doing: replacing emissions-heavy old trucks and sealing roads to reduce dust pollution,” she said.
“We’re keeping freight moving while making our roads safer in the west, taking trucks off local roads and slashing congestion.”
Applications for the grants will open in the coming weeks.
Details: dtp.vic.gov.au/ports-and-freight/clean-air-for-the-inner-west
