By Matthew Sims
The Maribyrnong Truck Action Group and Maribyrnong council have welcomed another step in discouraging trucks away from the area’s local roads to cut back on traffic and carbon emissions.
Maribyrnong mayor Anthony Tran and councillor Bernadette Thomas joined Maribyrnong Truck Action Group president Martin Wurt, Ports and Freight Minister and Williamstown MP Melissa Horne, Footscray MP Melissa Horne and Victorian Transport Association chief executive Peter Anderson at the corner of Somerville Road and Williamstown Road to announce signage would be installed along Somerville Road indicating no A-double or B-double trucks were permitted along Somerville Road between Geelong Road and Whitehall Street.
The signage would complement a pilot program of cameras monitoring curfew compliance, with the first of a number of proposed cameras now up and running on the corner of Somerville Road and Williamstown Road.
Mr Wurt said the group has welcomed the pilot initiative and the signage on Somerville Road.
“It’s a good step forward,” he said.
Mr Wurt said the group had been calling for the signage since the curfew was first put in place in 2001.
“It is good they have responded and listened,” he said.
Mr Wurt said the group was looking forward to seeing the camera technology broadened across other roads to allow for enforcement of curfews in the future.
“It’ll be a real game-changer,” he said.
Maribyrnong mayor Anthony Tran said with an estimated 34,000 trucks driving along Maribyrnong roads each day, making roads safety was “incredibly important”.
“Our residents have been asking for action around truck curfews and we hope the new signage and cameras will help move trucks off residential streets, creating safer roads and a safer environment by reducing carbon emissions,” he said.
The state government and Maribyrnong council has planned for additional signage and cameras to be installed at a number of locations including Geelong Road, Williamstown Road, Francis Street, Moore Street, Whitehall Street and part of Hyde Street.
At its meeting on Tuesday, August 16, Maribyrnong council passed a motion to endorse the council’s Air Quality Improvement Plan document, which included advocating to the state government to ban all diesel trucks (except delivery trucks) from residential streets and advocating to the federal government to ban all diesel and petrol vehicle sales by 2030.
