Thursday, 2 May 2024

Christies Road, Ravenhall

Luba GRIGOROVITCH (Kororoit) (17:23): (638) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. The action I seek is for the minister to investigate options to address the increasing traffic build-up on Christies Road in Ravenhall. Currently Christies Road, which is located south of Ballarat Road, takes on the weight of close to 22,300 vehicles daily, a number that is predicted to skyrocket to over 29,000 vehicles in seven years. Such projections paint a stark picture of the imminent challenges which we face in managing the flow of traffic through this area.

As the primary conduit connecting essential destinations such as the Western Highway, Caroline Springs station and local industries, the significance of Christies Road cannot be overstated. Thanks to the Victorian government, Caroline Springs station has had massive upgrades of its car park and platforms to allow for an increase in public transport commuters. Additionally, the Western Freeway over the years has also greatly benefited from upgrades by the Victorian government to allow for the faster and smoother flow of traffic on the freeway. However, the access point between these facilities and residents is limited due to Christies Road. Caroline Springs Boulevard is duplicated – a four-lane road north of Ballarat Road; however, Christies Road south of Ballarat Road is a single carriageway and acts as a major bottleneck for commuters accessing the Western Highway, Caroline Springs station and, as I said, local industries. I would be very interested to hear about any options which would improve safety at this location. I thank the minister for her constant work to improve road safety here in Victoria.