Who we are
We are a community group formed by concerned residents who live on and around Williamstown Road in Seddon, Kingsville and Yarraville. Our group comprises a diverse representation of the local community in Melbourne’s Inner West. We include concerned parents, and leading professionals and experts in the fields of law, health, the arts, media and communications.
Our Mission
Our mission is to increase the health and wellbeing of the community living around Williamstown Road and to preserve the amenity of the Inner West for all. We demand 24-hour truck bans on Williamstown Road consistent with every other road in the City of Maribyrnong.
INTERESTED TO KNOW WHAT THE SAVE WILLY Road group does?
Besides the researching, endless letter writing, pointed emails and questioning phone calls, here’s a summary of our main activities that have keep our volunteers busy…
April 2019
Save Willy Road established by a group of concerned residents in response to a VicRoads proposal (via Corridor Study Working Group) to introduce clearways on Williamstown Rd between Somerville Rd and Geelong Rd.
Save Willy Road group defined its mission, goals and activities relating to future truck traffic effects of the West Gate Tunnel. Individuals volunteered for steering group.
Appeals made to Melissa Horne MP resulted in clearway proposal being withdrawn.
May 2019
Formal participation in Maribyrnong City Council meeting where Save Willy Road questions were addressed and several Councillors expressed support for group's concerns. Further meetings with individual councillors during May.
2nd Save Willy Road meeting.
Correspondence sent to Jaala Pulford MP demanding review of Corridor Study Reference Group Terms of Reference.
June 2019
Meeting with Maribyrnong City Council Councillors and staff. Save Willy Road demanded Council moved to protect the community. Council agreed to continue to meet and develop advocacy position.
3rd Save Willy Road meeting.
New Save Willy Road website created.
July 2019
Maribyrnong City Councillors unanimously voted to support advocacy position that was drafted by Executive team in consultation with Save Willy Road.
New Terms of Reference drafted by VicRoads for the Millers and Williamstown Corridor Study - Working Group in response to Save Willy Road concerns. The ToR states: “The working group will now operate for a further 12 months until August 2020.”
Melissa Horne MP attends 4th Save Willy Road meeting.
The Age featured the concerns of Save Willy Road.
August 2019
Campaign signs distributed along Williamstown Road and surrounds.
Save Willy Road voices heard on national radio stations and in local papers after Cleaner Freight Initiative announced.
Mailing list established and over 100 households subscribed.
September 2019
Meeting with Senior Advisor to Jaala Pulford MP, Tim Mayfield, Dep Sec Department of Transport, Robyn Seymour, and VicRoads traffic engineer Nigel Smith to discuss bungled Cleaner Freight Initiative announcement, stalling of government announcements around truck curfews and bans for inner west and potential future actions.
5th Save Willy Road meeting.
November 2019
Private meeting with Maribyrnong City Council Mayor, staff and Councillors where promises were made to raise the issue of the dramatic increase in HPFV traffic with VicRoads/DoT. Assurances offered that formal invitations would be sent once again to Ministers and Hobson’s Bay City Council to meet.
December 2019
Save Willy Road submission to the Port of Melbourne’s 2050 Port Development Strategy lodged.
Jaala Pulford MP called a series of meetings to announce the Smart Freight Initiative was being shelved and told Save Willy Road that Williamstown Road would never be granted truck curfews.
January 2020
Department of Transport announced that the Corridor Study working group had been closed without any actions taken or a statement given on future developments.
6th Save Willy Road steering committee meeting held to plan protest action.
Two meetings with Upper House Independent Western Metro MP Catherine Cumming. Catherine understands our issues and is a strong advocate for us – watch this space.
Met with the EPA to raise our concerns. We were supported by members from Doctors for the Environment and Melbourne University’s Lung Health Research Team. We hope to continue these discussions, but unfortunately, the EPA doesn’t have any legislative powers.
Save Willy Road hosted meeting with legal representatives to discuss our options. Our first step is to request certain information via a Freedom of Information request.
Maribyrnong City Council contacted many times to enquire why we are seeing more High Productivity Freight Vehicles (HPFVs) on Willy Rd and who is monitoring permits.
Discussions have started with other community groups negatively impacted by the tunnel to unite around protest actions.
MARCH 2020
Meeting with MP for Footscray Katie Hall on prospects of Grieve Parade extension and possible relocation of Tottenham/Brooklyn container yards.
Requests made to Victoria Police and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator for night-time speed enforcement on Williamstown Rd as hundreds of massive interstate freight trucks are diverted nightly from the West Gate Freeway down Williamstown Rd.
APRIL 2020
Meeting with Andrew Newman, director ports, freight and intermodal at Freight Victoria, to discuss its strategy for the relocation of container yards.
Maribyrnong City Council lodged a request to the DoT on our behalf for the location of a trailer-mounted LED sign on Williamstown Rd displaying the 50km/h speed limit and the actual speed of passing traffic. DoT refused the request.
Department of Transport finally responds after repeated requests for information on the reasons for the premature closure of Corridor Study and details of what mitigation strategies it is now considering. It answers none of our questions but cites the 2019 speed limit reduction and 2017 resurfacing of Williamstown Rd as “measures that will improve community amenity”. It says “some” initiatives are being considered for funding by the Victorian government.
DECEMBER 2020
A Freedom of Information request by Save Willy Road finally results in the release of the first set of documents and emails pertaining to the Millers Road-Williamstown Road Corridor Study, providing long-awaited insights into a process the Department of Transport has fought hard to keep secret. The documents reveal a co-ordinated spin campaign employing half-truths and outright deceptions. (See News page for further detail).
MARCH 2021
Save Willy Road lodges a formal complaint with the Victorian Ombudsman over the running of the Millers Road-Williamstown Road Corridor Study. The complaint details the series of serious failings of the process, including VicRoads’ failure to abide by its Terms of Reference, its abandonment of an agreed working structure that would have included decision-making input from local councils and other agencies, and its lack of transparency once it had shut the process down. After extensive discussions with Save Willy Road, the Ombudsman’s office advises it will not mount a full investigation but will pursue the Department of Transport to release the Final Report of the Corridor Study.
MAY 2021
The Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC) orders the Department of Transport to release two further key documents that Save Willy Road had sought under FOI. OVIC tells the department: “Any sensitivity associated with the road project would be better addressed by promoting transparency rather than maintaining secrecy.” One of the documents is a briefing to the Roads Minister on the Corridor Study; it reveals the department had planned a major $4.8m works program including a Millers Road/Geelong Road intersection upgrade as well as pedestrian safety upgrades at two locations on Williamstown Road but had then scrapped the works.
JULY 2021
Save Willy Road seeks answers from senior Department of Transport official over the sudden spike in volumes of A-double trucks using Williamstown Road. The officer advises that the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator has been asked to step up enforcement to ensure operators are not using Williamstown Road without a valid permit.
AUGUST 2021
Save Willy Road Steering Committee meets Melissa Horne MP and a representative of Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan for an update on government initiatives to reduce truck volumes on Williamstown Road once the tunnel opens.
We make a new FOI request for the Corridor Study Final Report. The report, we are told, remains in draft form despite being all but completed and awaiting a “final polish” in October 2019.
Our values
Save Willy Road is committed to providing a welcoming and supportive environment for all people, regardless of background or identity. All of our activities will be convivial, family-friendly and legal. By participating in this group and its activities, participants accept to abide by our Code of Conduct. Any form or behaviour to exclude, intimidate, or cause discomfort is a violation of the Code of Conduct. In order to foster a positive and professional environment we encourage the following kinds of behaviours at all Save Willy Road events:
Use welcoming and inclusive language
Be respectful of different viewpoints and experiences
Gracefully accept constructive criticism
Focus on what is best for the community
Show courtesy and respect towards other community members.
If you believe someone is violating the Code of Conduct, we ask that you speak with a member of the Steering Committee who will take the appropriate action to address the situation.