Families living along Williamstown Road in Kingsville, Seddon and Yarraville are preparing for a significant increase in heavy truck traffic as they anticipate that many will avoid the $178 toll once the West Gate Tunnel opens later this year. This situation threatens to create chaos and safety issues on local roads.
The government's ban on trucks using local roads, set to begin when the West Gate Tunnel opens, will not apply to Williamstown Road, which is home to approximately 300 families, several sporting grounds and a primary school crossing.
Residents are alarmed by the expected surge in truck traffic, which has been predicted to double to 4700 heavy vehicles per day on Williamstown Road by 2031.
Trucks have already been allowed to use Williamstown and Geelong Roads to bypass Transurban's tolls before heading across the West Gate Bridge to the Port of Melbourne or the eastern suburbs.
Member for the Western Metropolitan Region, Trung Luu, commented: "I have been listening to my local constituents and they are rightly asking why they should be punished with an influx of trucks avoiding the tolls.
"The Allan Labor Government has failed to consult with residents along Williamstown Road, taking communities like these for granted.
"It is time for the government to listen to local concerns about the noise, vibrations and pollution, and address the unfair truck ban situation."
Shadow Minister for Major Projects, Evan Mulholland, added: "The West Gate Tunnel was promised to take trucks off local streets, but all it's doing is creating a new nightmare for residents on Williamstown Road.
"This is a total failure to spend on a new tunnel and leave roads like this behind.
"Labor can't manage money and can't manage major projects. The punishingly high tolls will just be passed on to consumers, leaving Victorians to pay the price at the checkout."
