Heavy trucks using a single-lane unsealed road as a shortcut at the edge of town are the latest symptom of Ballarat's growing pains, with residents worrying a deadly accident could occur.
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On Recreation Road, which runs out of Mount Clear, the B-double truck traffic has sharply increased, according to Tracie Currie.
While working out of her garage on Wednesday, she said she counted 50 B-double trucks passing in both directions, which followed 48 trucks counted on Thursday.
That's an unusually high number for the area, Ms Currie said - over the past four years, the traffic has increased from a number "you could count on your hands" to what she estimated to be 15 to 20 cars per hour.
The road is unsealed east of Mount Clear College, and is a dirt track when it connects to McCarthys Road.
"The damage in two days is extraordinary - council won't be happy," she said.
"The number of vehicles is increasing."
Ms Currie alleged the trucks often travelled "at speed" through a school zone, ripping up the surface, and using air brakes through residential zones, with a "large amount" of dust generated by the trucks despite council attempting to regularly dampen the road.
The road runs through the Woowookarung Regional Park, which has been revitalised to attract more nature tourism - Ms Currie said she was concerned about the safety of cyclists and pedestrians in the area, as well as wildlife.
"Recreation Road cannot and should not be expected to manage such a large flotilla of vehicles ploughing their way through Woowookarung Regional Park," she said.
The trucks have no identifying features, she added, but appear to be carrying construction material heading west.
VicRoads referred enquiries to the City of Ballarat.
The City of Ballarat was not able to respond before deadline.
IN THE NEWS
Heavy vehicles using unsealed rural roads has been criticised by residents on Ballarat's outskirts for years, as more infrastructure and housing is built to meet booming demand.
Residents have demanded sealing and widening for roads overused by trucks and other construction traffic, in the City of Ballarat and in neighbouring shires, saying the roads are not designed for this level or type of use and pointing to the constant damage and need for repairs.
In 2019, a Regional Roads Victoria study found a bypass for Buninyong, connecting the Midland Highway and the Western Freeway to the east of the township by potentially upgrading Yankee Flat Road to encourage an alternate route for trucks and heavy vehicles, is so far not viable.
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