The Maribyrnong Truck Action Group (MTAG) is relieved that years of campaigning have paid off.
MTAG is a local community group, active in Melbourne’s inner west, campaigning to reduce the number of trucks on residential streets.
They have campaigned for close to two decades for solutions to the truck crisis in the west calling on the state government for action.
MTAG president Martin Wurt said the declaration is long overdue.
“We have been raising the health impacts from truck emissions for 18 years, all we want is cleaner air and less trucks,” he said.
The call to the state government is asking to implement low emission zones, install filtration on the West Gate Tunnel vent stacks before it opens and phase out old polluting trucks at the port.
“We are hoping the environment and health minister are going to take notice following the council’s motion, it means the next steps can be taken,” he said.
Recent information shows the emissions coming from the annual eight million truck movements is dangerous to community health.
The health impacts of the trucks on residents in Melbourne’s inner west include, hospitalisation rates due to air pollution that exceed the Australian average, alarming childhood asthma rates and stroke and lung cancer rates way above Australian averages.
“The City of Maribyrnong is ground zero for truck pollution in Australia and our health needs protection now,” Mr Wurt said.
“Hospitalisation rates for children in Maribyrnong with respiratory illness is shocking, we need a plan to get these rates down as fast as possible.”
MTAG has identified a range of measures that they think would help reduce the impact of trucks on the Maribyrnong community including, developing a port clean air action plan, reducing tolls on Bolte Bridge, enforcing curfews as well as air monitoring among many more.
Jennifer Pittorino
