There are reported heavy traffic delays on the Western Freeway heading towards Ballarat this morning, as authorities beef up roadchecks coming out of Melbourne.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
With Premier Daniel Andrews today set to officially announce what enforcement measures will be in place to protect regional Victoria, it seems the coronavirus checkpoints are already cracking down.
Regional Victoria will advance to 'step three' at 11.59pm on Wednesday night, with restrictions to be greatly eased.
However, strict lockdown laws remain in Melbourne.
Bacchus Marsh resident Jamie told radio station 3AW this morning he had never seen the Western Freeway checkpoint as busy as it was on Wednesday morning.
However, he did point out there were ways around it if people were looking to break the rules.
"I've been here over 10 years and I've never seen the other road that busy before," he said.
A live traffic report at 8am showed a heavy build-up of traffic around Bacchus Marsh.
Yesterday, Premier Daniel Andrews warned Melburnians not to travel to the regions without a lawful reason.
"We cannot have people making unnecessary and unlawful trips to regional Victoria and potentially taking the virus with them," he said.
Mr Andrews had warned of extensive delays, increased fines and a greater percentage of cars being stopped at the checkpoints.
He will likely make a further announcement in his press conference today.
If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.
