THOUSANDS of trucks using traffic-clogged Yarraville streets are creating concerning levels of noise, according to the Environment Protection Agency.
Data collected from Francis Street in the first three month of a 12-month air and noise pollution trial shows average noise levels across an 18-hour period of about 77 decibels on weekdays and 73 decibels on weekends.
The levels are above the 68-decibel threshold that triggers VicRoads to consider noise-mitigation measures for roads built since 1979 (after Francis Street was built).
Francis Street is used by more than 20,000 vehicles a day, including almost 6000 trucks.
The EPA found that although noise is of above-average levels, vehicle emissions pose little risk to residents — a claim that has been denied by residents. Peter Knight, of the Maribyrnong Truck Action Group, said the EPA had put the best possible spin on a clearly terrible situation. “It is at best disingenuous. There are lots of instances on the EPA website where air quality in Yarraville is rated poor, but you wouldn’t know it from what they’re saying now.”
Last month, the Weekly told of a Council of Australian Governments report, stating that exposure to air pollution posed long-term risks to the health of children and infants.
The study of 2860 children nationwide linked truck exhaust fumes with asthma, bronchitis and impaired lung function.
EPA strategic relations director Matt Vincent said while air pollution levels measured in Yarraville fell below air quality guidelines, they were slightly elevated compared to Footscray and Alphington. “Small particle or PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide and benzo(a)pyrene results were all below relevant standards.”
Mr Knight criticised the location of the monitoring station, claiming it had been deliberately placed away from the worst-affected areas.
An EPA spokeswoman said the site was chosen to be “representative of residential sites in Francis Street” rather than show the highest impact of truck traffic.
Mr Knight said residents were losing trust in the EPA as it showed itself to be a “toothless tiger”. “They can’t go and fine a private operator over this. The only people who can do something about the truck problem is the state government, so it looks like they are just doing the government’s bidding.”
Freight traffic in Melbourne is set to explode from 2.5 million containers a year to more than five million by 2025. The government has canned the proposed Truck Action Plan of the previous Labor government, aimed at removing trucks from inner-west streets, instead pinning a solution to construction of the east-west link.
Data from the EPA’s 12-month monitoring program will be compared with results from early studies in 2001 and 2002 at the completion of current testing.
