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Vague signage, new curfew head committee’s concerns

Truck drivers in Melbourne's west have little understanding of local area signs, committee says

By Ruza Zivkusic-Aftasi | May 2, 2013

Truck drivers in Melbourne’s west have little understanding of local area signs and misuse them to rumble through streets, according to a committee.

The Truck Curfew Review Committee (TCRC) believes smaller operators are more inclined to use residential streets to avoid freeway tolls.

The TCRC says the definition of ‘local area’ in road rules is vague to many drivers and is calling on the Victorian Government to develop alternative routes to better link traffic to the Port of Melbourne.

It also wants a more rigorous restriction implemented on Moore Street in Footscray to address amenity and safety.

Relocating the transport industry from residential streets could also help as previous night and weekend curfews introduced in Somerville Road and Francis Street more than 10 years ago have not reduced truck volumes, it adds.

The committee was formed last year as a working group consisting of representatives from the Footscray community, VicRoads, Department of Transport, Victoria Police, Environment Protection Authority, transport operators and the Maribyrnong City Council.

However, curfews on Moore Street have not been supported by VicRoads, the Department of Transport and the Port of Melbourne Corporation as it is an arterial road built for the purpose of carrying all modes of traffic, including heavy vehicles.

The Victorian Transport Association (VTA) has also opposed the proposal to extend curfews, saying Moore Street has been a key link to freight routes for over 150 years.

“Moore Street is a major arterial route connecting Docklands Highway with Princes Highway to the north, and then the south,” VTA CEO Neil Chambers says.

“VTA is totally opposed to any contemplation of truck curfews on Moore Street. There is simply no justification for it.”

The TCRC believes the recently announced assessment of high productivity freight vehicles may provide suitable non-residential routes that would reduce traffic.

Last year’s truck traffic counts undertaken by the council and VicRoads on Francis Street show a 4 percent increase of truck volume.

Traffic on Somerville Road, east of Williamstown Road, has dropped by 17 percent, with the western part of Somerville Road also recording a 10 percent fall.

However, there has been a continuing increase in truck numbers on Moore Street, with more trucks travelling at night (up by 38 percent) during the curfew periods that apply on Francis Street and Somerville Road.

Maribyrnong Council Mayor Catherine Cumming says while the city supports the trucking industry, there are currently 20,000 trucks driving through the city each day and the number is expected to quadruple in 25 years.

“Our residents shouldn’t have to put up with ever increasing numbers of trucks rumbling past their doors,” she says.

Cumming says the State Government needs to urgently provide road and rail infrastructure to offer alternative freight routes.

“Most truck drivers do the right thing, but the trucks that break the curfew cause problems for our residents. We’re asking the State Government to take action and create a long term solution to the truck problem,” she says.

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