Thursday, 21 March 2024

 Samantha RATNAM (Northern Metropolitan) (12:57): (780) My constituency question is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. Last week councillors in the City of Yarra voted to explore increased parking fees for large American-style oversized vehicles, commonly known as truckzillas, following in the footsteps of cities like Paris. These councillors are concerned about the safety of streets in their neighbourhoods, as our roads were simply not designed to accommodate these truck-like cars.

It is an undeniable fact that super-sized vehicles are dangerous. They have blind spots of up to 4 metres in front of the vehicles, and it is no coincidence that a child is eight times more likely to die being hit by a larger utility vehicle as compared to a lighter car, not to mention the astonishing amount of pollution caused by these beasts. Yarra councillors are calling for the government to address this issue and improve the safety of our streets. Minister, will you respond to these growing issues in my electorate and council calls from my electorate to increase registration fees for American-style monster trucks to deter people from purchasing these big vehicles?