Climate protesters cause traffic chaos in bridge blockade

Multiple lanes on Melbourne's West Gate Bridge have been closed during peak hour this morning due to protesters.

Climate protesters hired a large moving truck and parked it across three lanes just before 8:00am, before securing themselves to milk crates on top of the vehicle and displaying banners – creating delays of more than an hour for city-bound traffic from the Princes Freeway and M80 Ring Road.

According to The Age, the action has created a traffic jam of up to 25 kilometres.

Suburbs including Yarraville and Footscray that feed into the West Gate Bridge are also reportedly suffering from congestion.

It's understood the protesters are seeking greater action from politicians, as political leaders from the region meet for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) conference.

The West Gate Bridge carries more than 200,000 vehicles each day, according to VicRoads, making it one of the country's busiest road corridors.

Members of the Extinction Rebellion group have taken to deploying banners across a pedestrian bridge at the city end of the Eastern Freeway during peak hour in recent months – raising awareness without disrupting traffic flows.

Drivers coming to Melbourne from the west have been advised to add at least 60 minutes to their journey.