The biggest increases in weekday truck traffic between 2002 and 2008 was 46per cent recorded in Moore Street (north of Hopkins Street), 27per cent in Somerville Road (between Williamstown and Geelong roads), and 23per cent in Hyde Street (south of Francis Street).

At night, there was a 246per cent jump in trucks using Moore Street and 86per cent more for Buckley Street (east of Victoria Street).

At its April 21 meeting, Maribyrnong Council voted to write to VicRoads to request more enforcement of truck curfews in Francis Street and Somerville Road in Yarraville, and to raise concerns about the increases recorded in Buckley and Moore streets in Footscray.

Saltwater Ward councillor John Cumming said it was unfair that Footscray residents had to endure such dramatic increases in truck traffic.

"The problem has been moved [from Yarraville]. It hasn't been eliminated, it has simply been moved."

Mayor Michael Clarke said that, with the Port of Melbourne Corporation planning to increase the number of shipping containers it handles from two million a year to eight million, things would only get worse.

"At that level, we are looking at four times the amount of truck traffic coming through our municipality today."

He said relief for residents would come only when the State Government funded on/off-ramps from the West Gate Freeway on to Hyde Street, as proposed in its Truck Action Plan.

The Maribyrnong Truck Action Group has lobbied for such ramps for years. Spokesman Peter Knight said: "I hope that funding will be committed in this budget both at a state level and federal level. [Curfews] are an integral part of a comprehensive solution, but without infrastructure investment nothing is going to work."

VicRoads said

it continued to work with transport operators to inform and educate them about the curfews.