Western Port Highway traffic noise
Mr RICH-PHILLIPS (South Eastern Metropolitan) (17:54): (1942) I wish to raise a matter for the attention of the Minister for Roads and Road Safety in the other place, and it relates to the impact of heavy truck noise, heavy vehicle noise, on the northern section of Western Port Highway in my electorate in the vicinity of Lyndhurst and the Marriott Waters estate. This is a section of the Western Port Highway which has experienced substantial traffic growth in recent years. It is experienced in the vicinity of substantial residential growth in recent years. There is now a solid line of housing stretching from roughly Northey Road to Thompsons Road on that section of Western Port Highway, with a solid residential development. And of course with the long-awaited arrival of the intermodal freight terminal, which is due to open in 2023, the volume of heavy vehicle traffic is also going to substantially increase. There are already concerns among local residents about the impact of heavy vehicle noise on that section of the Western Port Highway, and those residents have experienced those problems around the clock. It is not only through daylight hours, it is also at night—the large volume of traffic. They are now seeking intervention.
The most obvious solution for addressing that heavy vehicle noise on Western Port Highway at the moment is the installation of noise barriers. The section of Western Port Highway lends itself to the installation of noise barriers on the eastern side. There is a very wide easement which has been set aside for widening the highway in future, so there is more than adequate space for the installation of noise barriers, which would be the simplest and most sensible solution to address those noise concerns. So the action I seek from the Minister for Roads and Road Safety in the other place is to prioritise the installation of sound barriers on the eastern side of Western Port Highway between Northey Road and Thompsons Road so that those barriers are in place prior to the opening of the long-awaited intermodal freight hub in 2023.