MARIBYRNONG council has vowed to maintain pressure on the state government to fix the truck traffic plaguing residential roads.
The council invited Maribyrnong Truck Action Group (MTAG) representatives to address last week’s community and services committee meeting as part of its preparation of a long-term strategy to tackle a projected doubling of freight traffic in the next two decades.
MTAG president Samantha McArthur said the health impacts of heavy truck traffic near homes and schools was unacceptable.
“One of the ideas we had was calling on the ministers and Premier to come and meet with residents and explain how they can solve our problems,” Ms McArthur said.
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MTAG secretary Martin Wurt told the meeting the truck action plan, to build ramps to directly link trucks to the West Gate Freeway, remained the No.1 step in taking up to one million trucks off residential streets each year.
The plan was scuttled in last month’s state budget, with the government arguing the proposed east-west road link would negate the need for the project.
“That is the best solution. If you think a tunnel coming out under Footscray is a solution, it’s not,” Mr Wurt said. “We have the biggest truck problem in all of Australia and we’re being left behind.”
The council is seeking an expansion of the truck curfew program, including a night ban on Moore Street in Footscray and moves to stop the almost 2000 trucks using Yarraville’s Somerville Road daily from doing so during school crossing hours.
Council wrote to the government and VicRoads about the curfew, but it has received no formal response.
