• Fremantle councillor Rachel Pemberton is launching a petition to get trucks banned from Hampton Road. Photo by Steve Grant

TRUCKS carrying containers will be banned from Hampton Road if Fremantle councillor Rachel Pemberton gets her way.

For years residents have complained about screeching brakes and roaring gear changes from the stream of trucks accessing the port from the Henderson industrial area.

Cr Pemberton told the Herald the council had looked at installing a roundabout on the busy road but it’d have to be big enough to accommodate trucks, which are legally permitted to use the road. That would make it expensive, likely to encroach onto surrounding properties and be not much of a deterrent.

“The advice from staff was that we need a petition to parliament to get a ban…similar to the one that currently exists on South Street,” she told the Herald.

While doorknocking as part of her campaign to retain her seat on council, she’s asking residents to support her truck-ban petition, which will also be available online at change.org.

Cr Pemberton says the council is also working with neighbouring Cockburn to get Main Roads to install traffic lights on Cockburn Road in Henderson.

During busy periods, truckies find it too difficult to turn right towards Stock Road, so many simply chuck a leftie and head straight into Fremantle.

Cockburn Labor MP Fran Logan also wants lights there because of the long wait workers face trying to make the same turn at the end of shifts. Mr Logan says workers make the same left turn, only to clog up streets as they later try to get onto Stock Road.

by STEVE GRANT