Inner west initiatives
The Victorian Government is investing in infrastructure and development in Melbourne’s west, including some $20 billion in transformational programs to create a better place to live, work and raise our families.
The transport challenges in this growing and changing area are complex and need an integrated response across government.
Our vision for the inner west is to improve air quality and liveability by reducing vehicle movements through local streets.
We’re creating direct freight connections for cleaner trucks, shifting more freight to rail, and streamlining access to the port to meet our growing freight task.
From projects, to planning and strategies and trials to reduce emissions, enhance communities, and improve health and wellbeing, we’re transforming the way people and goods move around the inner west.
We’ve developed a fact sheet Taking action to improve air quality in Melbourne’s inner west Action Plan outlining the actions underway to improve air quality in the inner west and across Victoria.
- Taking action to improve air quality in Melbourne’s inner west Action Plan [PDF 252 Kb]
- Taking action to improve air quality in Melbourne’s inner west Action Plan (Accessible version) [DOCX. 2Mb]
Strategies and trials
We are testing new ways to manage growth and boost mobility, while reducing the impact of trucks on the environment and residents.
Air quality monitoring
The Victorian Government is improving the level of air quality information.
We’re also enhancing understanding of its impacts, through air monitoring, source identification, and assessment initiatives that complement the existing EPA air monitoring network and programs.
Climate Change Strategy
Our transport sector pledge includes clear actions that reduce emissions now and lay the foundations for a cleaner future.
Former Melbourne Market site
The former Melbourne Market site provides opportunities to relieve pressure on the inner west by accommodating freight uses closer to the Port.
VicTrack is currently undertaking a Request for Proposal to see an operator for the Melbourne Market site in place in 2022.
Moving More with Less
Moving More with Less supports the use of more efficient, safer, and environmentally friendly road freight combinations known as High Productivity Freight Vehicles (HPFV).
We’re encouraging the adoption of newer, performance-based vehicles that can meet the growing freight task while improving safety and reducing heavy vehicle impacts on the community and environment.
Shifting freight from road to rail
The Victorian Government is partnering with industry and the Australian government to establish a network of port rail shuttles and intermodal terminals and a further extension to the Mode Shift Incentive Scheme, to enable more freight to be transported by rail.
An integrated and efficient rail freight network will reduce truck numbers in the inner west, removing congestion around the port and giving industry a more cost-effective way to get their products to market.
Learn more about Victoria's rail freight network
Transport Integration Act
We’ve improved Victoria’s planning system to give effect to the Transport Integration Act 2010.
State planning policy has been updated to support a more integrated transport system that is simpler and more certain for decision-makers, infrastructure providers and the community.
Learn more about transport planning reforms
Zero Emissions Bus Program
To support our transition towards zero emissions public transport, the Victorian Government has invested $20 million in a state-wide trial of zero-emission buses to run over the next three years.
The inner west suburbs and routes have been identified as a priority region for rollout of this initiative.
Planning
We are focused on balancing the needs of inner west residents and industry with the efficiency and operation of the wider transport network.
Recent studies have taken an in-depth look at the movement of pedestrians, cyclists, public transport, cars and trucks in the inner west, both now and in the future, helping identify key improvements we can make along the way.
Inner west transport studies
We’ve worked with councils and community representatives to identify measures to improve transport connections and liveability in the inner west.
These studies will guide the Department and planners in the development of the western metropolitan transport network and ensure consistent and integrated transport responses.
These studies will provide sound support for future transport investment.
- Millers Road and Williamstown Road Corridor Study
- Hobsons Bay Transport Planning Study – Network Challenges Report
- Hobsons Bay Transport Planning Study – Network Investigations Technical Report
Inner west truck curfews
We’re working with council, industry, and the community to clarify existing curfews and restrictions for trucks moving through Melbourne’s inner west.
We’ve taken the following steps to make the restrictions clearer, protecting local amenity and air quality, and improving safety for everyone:
- created a simple guide to educate truck drivers about where and when they can travel through Melbourne’s inner west, and help industry better plan their journey to the port. Guide is available in:
- installing additional, clearer signage on Somerville Road and other local roads identifying the types of trucks not permitted to use the road
- launched an innovative heavy vehicle monitoring camera trial to capture data on compliance and detect, identify, categorise and report on different heavy vehicle types using Somerville Road.
The outcomes of the first heavy vehicle monitoring camera on Somerville Road will help determine the roll-out of the technology on other key routes in the inner west.
We will continue to progress a monitoring and compliance strategy for routes in the inner west subject to truck bans when the West Gate Tunnel opens.
Learn morePort of Melbourne Container Logistics Study
We’ve worked with the Port of Melbourne on a Container Logistics Chain Study to better understand container origins and destinations.
Knowing how containers moves through and around the inner west helps us identify more efficient ways to separate freight from residential areas and develop sustainable solutions to manage our growing freight task.
Victorian Commercial Ports Strategy
We’ve released Navigating our Port Futures: The Strategy is a response to the Independent Review of the Victorian Ports System, actioning the industry desire for a State-wide vision for the sector.
The Victorian Government’s 30-year strategy, vision and action plan position our ports system to grow and thrive.
Projects
We’re committed to keeping inner west moving as its population grows.
We’re investing in important transport projects such as the West Gate Tunnel Project and the $1.8 billion Western Roads Upgrade.
Some periods of disruption are inevitable as we complete projects that will help ensure a thriving and connected inner west community.
Active transport
Everyone in our community should have safe access and enjoy our streets, that’s why we’re installing up to 20kms of new pop-up bike routes around Footscray, Seddon, Yarraville and the broader west.
The new pop-up bike lanes provide an east-west connection between the Sunshine Rail Trail and Footscray and Dynon Road shared use paths to the city. We’re also improving a number of north-south connections including Hyde Street.
Community funding
The Victorian Government has committed to a range of community funding streams to improve health and wellbeing outcomes in our inner west communities.
Metro Tunnel Project
The Metro Tunnel Project will create a new end to end line from Sunbury in the west to Cranbourne/Pakenham in the south-east, with high-capacity trains and five new underground stations.
The project will deliver 24 percent more capacity on the Williamstown and Werribee lines and 60 percent more capacity on the Sunbury/Watergardens line during peak periods, creating safer, more accessible public and active transport options for the west.
West Gate Tunnel Project
In addition to taking 9,000 trucks each day of local streets, the West Gate Tunnel Project will facilitate the introduction of 24-hour truck bans on Blackshaws Road, Hudsons Road, Francis Street, Somerville Road, Buckley Street and Moore Street.
Western Roads Upgrades
This $1.8 billion upgrade is complete, boosting capacity and improving travel times across the western suburb’s arterial road network.
It included upgrades to arterial roads, securing the long-term maintenance of roads and Federation Trail upgrades and new walking and cycling paths.
Web links
- Victoria’s Big Build
- Victoria’s climate change strategy
- Victorian freight plan: Delivering the Goods
- EPA Air Quality
- Transport planning reforms