The Hume City Council in Melbourne’s north-west is proposing a truck ban on sections of its major roads in an effort to ‘improve quality of life’ for people living along the roads.

It has called for a truck ban to be imposed on sections of Konagederra Road, Wildwood Road, Gellies Road and Bardwell Drive.

Between February and April 2022, the intersection of Mickleham Road and Craigieburn Road was closed by Major Road Projects Victoria so that part of the Craigieburn Road could be upgraded.

Traffic was redirected onto surrounding roads, with council monitoring this increase in traffic and have continued to do so.

Since the intersection reopened, traffic data shows that higher volumes of heavy vehicle traffic have been using local roads like Bardwell Drive, Konagaderra Road, Gellies Road and Wildwood Road (North and South). The council says nearby arterial roads, which are designed for this kind of traffic, have capacity.

The council says quality of life for people living along these roads might be negatively affected by the heavy vehicle traffic, with the council proposing to erect ‘No Trucks’ signage at the entries of the affected roads.

The signs restricts heavy vehicle traffic (over 4.5 tonnes of gross vehicle mass (GVM)) from accessing these roads.

This type of signage allows for important exceptions, such as emergency vehicles being able to use the roads when required or when heavy vehicles are servicing a property along these roads (if there is no other way to get to the destination).

Heavy vehicle operators and transport companies have also been invited to provide feedback on the proposal, which can be accessed here.