ANOTHER attempt will be made to put the brakes on trucks taking a back route through Dennington residential streets to the Warrnambool industrial estate.
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Residents fear the problem could become worse when new traffic lights are installed on Raglan Parade, prompting truckies and motorists to look for short-cut routes.
City councillor Peter Hulin plans to air residents’ concerns in a notice of motion for the second time in two years, calling for restrictions on B-doubles and other heavy trucks using Baynes Street and Harrington Road.
He will also call for more noise buffers around the Harrington Road water storage.
The notice of motion is likely to be debated this Monday night.
Dennington Community Association president David Kelson said the issue had been simmering for at least five years with increasing numbers of residents moving into the area.
“There needs to be a deterrent against heavy trucks using the route from Raglan Parade down the Esplanade, Baynes Street and Harrington Road to the industrial estate,” he said.
“We’ve written to council warning of the risk of more traffic on those roads as a back way after traffic lights are installed at Rooneys Road.
“Our group will discuss the issue again this Wednesday night and convey our feedback to council.”
Cr Hulin’s previous notice of motion was defeated after traffic surveys showed the volume of heavy trucks was below the VicRoads trigger for official restrictions.
Cr Hulin said he did not believe surveys reflected the real picture.
“If you put tapes on the road word soon gets around and truck drivers avoid the area,” he said.
“I’m calling for a commonsense solution.
“Heavy trucks should not be using that route unless they have a legitimate reason and a permit to be there — for example, garbage trucks.
“Rooneys Road and Walsh Road are the designated routes into the industrial estate, not Dennington streets.”
Mr Kelson said VicRoads would next year ban right-hand turns from Raglan Parade into The Esplanade, but this would not prevent trucks entering Baynes Street via Tylden and Lindsay streets.
“Trucks turning right from Raglan Parade into The Esplanade sometimes cause traffic congestion banking up across the Merri River bridge,” he said.
Cr Hulin acknowledged that Harrington Road residents Jan and Paul Noreika had been agitating for years about truck volumes and industrial noises, but he said it now applied to a far broader section of the Dennington community.
