Wednesday, 15 May 2024

 David HODGETT (Croydon) (14:46): (640) My constituency question is for the minister for roads. Does your department liaise with other departments and list the upcoming major projects and put thought into spacing them out to reduce the traffic congestion and disruption to the public? In and around my electorate of Croydon there is a massive logistical nightmare with the closure of Coolstore Road due to level crossing works and the closure of Bayswater Road and Mount Dandenong Road due to Melbourne Water pipeline replacement, and on top of that there is the redevelopment of the Montrose roundabout, which is being managed by the state government. People are not against these projects; rather they cannot understand why they all must be done in the one area at the same time, causing disruption, congestion, long delays and massive inconvenience. Surely there is a better way to plan and manage these projects. Just today I learned that Kent Avenue in Croydon will be closed when I had a call from the local butcher, who cannot understand why adequate notice was not given when they have got supplies of meat that they are trying to sell and was asking questions like how do they trade when they are ill-advised of road closures.