HAMPTON ROAD residents have reignited their battle against heavy vehicles after noticing a rise in container trucks using it as a shortcut to Fremantle Port.

Early this month two makeshift signs appeared on one of Hampton Road’s median strips between High Street and South Street, calling for all “CONTAINER TRUCKS OFF HAMPTON RD NOW”. 

Along with the signs came a notice in letterboxes asking if others had noticed the increase in the number of semi-trailer container trucks and urging them to contact Fremantle council to show the rising community concern. 

Sign-makers Rachel and Thierry told the Herald they’d noticed the increase in traffic and container trucks, along with air and noise pollution on Hampton Road, over the past six months. 

The couple said they tried opening a dialogue with the council to see if any action could be taken to enforce an existing ban, but weren’t thrilled by the response.

After contacting the council, they say they were told to collect “photographic evidence” before the council would take it further.

• Fremantle council says it’s monitoring trucks on Hampton Road and is sympathetic to residents, but they are calling from stronger action. Photo by Imogen Walsh

“It’s ludicrous to expect residents to stand in the street photographing container trucks and counting them,” Rachel said.

The couple requested a traffic counter instead and while one has not been installed the council told the Herald it was “actively monitoring truck traffic on Hampton Road and is sympathetic to resident concerns. 

“Hampton Road has a restriction in place, prohibiting large heavy vehicles from using it as a through-route.” 

The council says Main Roads enforces breaches of the restriction and it passes on any report from residents. 

According to Main Roads’ website the recommended route for truck drivers is Leach Highway and Stock Road, leading to Stirling Highway which goes directly to Fremantle Port. 

Fremantle Ports said the vast majority of truck drivers were professional and used the MRWA-recommended routes to keep locals on-side. 

“We find a very small percentage of container trucks use Hampton Road and those that do are generally servicing the businesses in the local area,” Fremantle Ports spokesperson Neil Stanbury said. 

Friends of Hampton and Ord founder Julie Murphy says she has repeatedly raised the health, safety and pollution issues with the council since 2016.

“Hampton is no different than any other [residential] street in Perth,” Ms Murphy said, noting there are several schools along Hampton and many pedestrians using it each day. 

Crosswalk attendant Chris Maston recently suffered multiple broken bones after being hit by a speeding car while ushering Fremantle Primary School students across the road. 

Mr Maston now says he “wouldn’t even walk his dog across Hampton Road”.  

While a container truck was not at the root of the incident, Mr Maston points out that “quite a few” are using Hampton Rd, adding to an unsafe environment. 

Road to Rail Campaign founder Barry Healy believes it is “insanity to have heavy-duty trucks driving through the suburban streets of Fremantle”. 

Road to Rail started in 2010, calling for more use of rail as the “least environmentally destructive” alternative to get goods to the port.

Mr Healy says that if the public were aware of the severity of the health damage diesel trucks could cause, including lung cancer from a fug of particulates, it would become the “Achilles heel” for WA’s Environmental Protection Authority. 

The former McGowan government proposed the new Outer Harbour in Kwinana as a way of reducing truck traffic in Fremantle and Melville, but Mr Healy and the Road to Rail campaign say they are “heavily against the idea of moving the problem, rather than solving it” and want to see more investment in rail. 

by IMOGEN WALSH