Truck traffic to double on Williamstown Road
The West Gate Tunnel project opened in December 2025, bringing legislated 24/7 truck bans for several City of Maribyrnong streets - with the exception of Williamstown Road in Seddon, Kingsville and Yarraville. Just weeks before the tunnel opened, the Victorian government announced that night and weekend truck curfews would apply on Williamstown Road, which was a hugely welcome outcome, particularly considering the government’s longstanding refusal to introduce any truck bans or curfews on this road.
Yet even with the new curfews, the problem of outdated, noisy, dirty and unsafe trucks in residential areas in the Inner West will remain, with the problem now focused on Williamstown Road, a largely single lane and key residential street lined with heritage homes.
The state government has known since 2017 that truck numbers on Williamstown Road would rise sharply once the tunnel opened. Detailed traffic projections containing this alarming scenario were contained in documents created for the Environment Effects Study (EES) by consultants GHD for the West Gate Tunnel Project.
Many of those trucks use Williamstown Road to travel between between industrial precincts in Tottenham/Brooklyn and the Port of Melbourne’s Webb Dock.
But hundreds — possibly thousands — more trucks every day will use Williamstown Road simply to evade new tolling points for trucks on the West Gate Freeway between Millers Road and Williamstown Road. Those punitive tolls — as much as $29 a trip — are charged for every truck using the freeway, regardless of whether they use the new tunnel or not. Even with toll caps, operators making six trips on the freeway in a day pay as much as $178 per day. The tolls create a huge financial incentive for operators to exit the freeway and use Williamstown Road and Geelong Road, particularly at night.
Why are we concerned?
Diesel pollution has severe health impacts on residents and children over a 200 metre fallout zone - covering a school, sports oval, tennis courts and skate park.
Heavy truck traffic decreases the safety of our residential street for all other users and adds to traffic congestion.
Noise from oversize vehicles already wakes local residents, and vibrations already shake heritage homes night and day.
We stand for safer alternative solutions to the massive increase in truck traffic on Williamstown Road
Local residents, schools and road users require immediate protection from the imminent threats of increased air and sound pollution and dangers from heavy vehicles. We demand equality. We demand the legislation of 24-hour truck bans for Williamstown Road consistent with other key residential roads in the City of Maribyrnong, with appropriate exemptions for trucks delivering to local businesses. Trucks should be forced to use the newly widened freeway and appropriate industrial routes, well away from homes.