2026-07-21
The Victorian Greens have renewed calls for extended truck bans and a proper crackdown on trucks rat running through residential streets as new data reveals that the number of big trucks and semi-trailers has tripled since the opening of Labor’s $10.2 billion West Gate Tunnel.
Local member for Melbourne and Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell has been advocating on the issue for months, backing local residents and launching an Open Letter to the Minister demanding urgent action.
Sandell said that the fact there’s three times as many heavy vehicles thundering past schools and on our local streets exposes fundamental flaws in Labor’s approach to transport planning which has prioritised the private toll road corporations and their profits over the community.
Quotes attributable to the Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell:
“Labor has prioritised the profits of big toll road companies - and it’s our local communities who suffer with dangerous and polluting trucks thundering past schools, clogging our streets, and endangering our kids.
We warned Labor ten years ago that their decision to prioritise toll road company profits would have serious consequences for our local communities - Labor ignored these warnings and now this data shows just how bad it is.
“This data is shocking, and shows that we need truck bans in our Kensington, North Melbourne and West Melbourne communities now. The Greens are calling on Labor to act now before someone is seriously injured, or worse.”