Archive, Industry News

MTAG protest to support council truck ban call

Maribyrnong Truck Action Group to protest next month supporting local school crossing curfews

By Ruza Zivkusic-Aftasi | October 22, 2013

Maribyrnong Truck Action Group (MTAG) will hold a protest next month supporting the local council’s call for school crossing curfews in the area.

MTAG members will gather on November 12 outside Kingsville Primary School on Somerville Road in Melbourne’s west calling for a ban of trucks on Somerville Road.

There are three schools and one kindergarten on the two-lane road which carries around 3,000 trucks each day, with many locals concerned about students’ safety, MTAG says.

“Parents are concerned about safety and many will not let their children walk or ride to school because they are worried about truck traffic,” its Ban Trucks during School Crossing Times on Somerville Road petition to the Victorian Government states.

“School crossing time is the most congested and slow-moving time for traffic along Somerville Road.

“The trucks are operating at their least efficient and most polluting level, especially under heavy load as they take off from the crossings.”

The Maribyrnong City Council has recently called for an immediate ban on all trucks on local roads surrounding schools and community facilities until a full audit of safety compliance controls and regulatory enforcement of trucks was undertaken by VicRoads.

It has also written to the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV), urging it to call on the State and Federal Governments to develop effective freight and transport infrastructure projects to respond to the projected freight growth in Melbourne over the next 20 years.

“It is critical that the freight and transport infrastructure projects are integrated and provide adequate separation of major freight routes from residential streets and zones,” the council says.

The protest will be held at 8am.

Bookmark and Share

Previous ArticleNext Article
Send this to a friend