More trucks choking up CBD

UP to 1500 trucks are thundering along Geelong’s Ryrie St each day.

Roads authorities are negotiating their next step in the campaign to limit trucks in the CBD as it is revealed 500 extra trucks are now travelling on Ryrie St daily.

This is about 50 per cent more than a year ago, when restrictions were enforced on council-controlled Malop and Mercer streets.

The City of Greater Geelong was keen to incrementally extend trial truck restrictions onto Ryrie and McKillop streets so it could evaluate the effects on traffic volumes, but needs the blessing of VicRoads, which manages those roads.

VicRoads says it will evaluate the economic ramifications of different options to remove through-travelling trucks from the city centre.

It wants to consider the views of truck companies and drivers, businesses and residents for proposals that would encourage drivers to use different routes and also the possibility of applying lower speed limits in the CBD at peak times.

“We need to consider the social impacts because if you close routes you may just be pushing the problem somewhere else,” VicRoads regional director William Tieppo said.

“At this stage it is too early to draw conclusions about the longer term solutions.”

The City of Greater Geelong instituted the restrictions from March last year, banning vehicles with four or more axles from its CBD roads unless they had a business purpose in the city.

It was the first step in a strategy to push B-doubles and other heavy vehicles to use east-west routes south of the city — such as Fyans/Carr streets and the Breakwater Bridge.

Councillor Michelle Heagney said the current truck restrictions on the roads managed by the City would remain in force for the time being.

She said the trial restrictions had provided valuable information and helped strengthen the City’s ability to work with VicRoads to address the truck issue.

She said the council remained conscious of the increased truck traffic on Ryrie St and would continue negotiating for improvements.

“We’re working positively with VicRoads to achieve both the aims of removing the largest trucks off Ryrie St with a minimal impact on the surrounding roads,” she said.