No Freeway 4 West Footscray's Claire O'Sullivan told supporters the Government had failed to listen to residents.

She also questioned how it could promise to protect certain suburbs in the west but not others.

"We find it an affront that residents of Footscray and Seddon will be protected during the tunnel project, but the residents of West Footscray and Sunshine are left to fight for themselves, which we will do because there's too much for us to lose."

Brimbank Transport Action Group's Debbi Woods said that in a meeting with WestLink, the authority had not been able to show them where the tunnel would go but still claimed houses would not be acquired.

She said protesters were wearing face masks "because we're going to need them if the road goes ahead as we won't be able to breathe".

Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said inadequate public transport had led to an overuse of the West Gate Freeway. "Because those people in the outer western suburbs have no public transport they use their cars and the Government doesn't plan to fix that."

West Footscray resident Stuart Martin said his suburb would be surrounded by major roads if the Government went ahead with its Victorian Transport Plan. "Why is the cost of the infrastructure going to be more important than the cost to our community?"

Sunshine resident Peter Thomson, who uses a walking cane, said it was criminal that the Government continued to spend more money on roads than the public transport system which was "still in the dark ages".

Upper house Greens MP Colleen Hartland was the only politician to attend, although protesters said invitations were extended to Footscray MP Marsha Thomson, Sunshine MP Telmo Languiller, Roads and Ports Minister Tim Pallas and Premier John Brumby.