Thursday, 19 June 2025

Adjournment

Mount Donna Buang cyclist safety

Cindy McLEISH (Eildon) (17:08): (1201) I have a matter for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, and the action I seek is for the minister to improve safety for cyclists on the popular Donna Buang Road on Mount Donna Buang by directing the Department of Transport and Planning to install additional signage and convex mirrors at key points. These improvements are not costly and are pretty simple and quick to install. Cycling is a popular sport, and the 16.8-kilometre route up Mount Donna Buang, with a 6.4 per cent gradient and elevation gain of 1069 metres, provides a great challenge for the cycling enthusiast. I urge the minister to be quite proactive here, rather than risk being reactive should there be a serious accident or fatality. There have been a number of near collisions between cyclists and cars, and there are a couple of blind spots certainly near the top car park entrance of Donna Buang. I think in general there are just not enough signage and safety measures in place.

I did write to the minister in February about this and received a response, but the matter is still live. The minister’s response was that while the department has advised there are no plans to implement changes at this location, feedback received will be considered as part of their management of Victoria’s roadworks. I would like to know what sort of feedback they have received, because at the minute the safety risks still exist.

This road, as I said, offers a great challenge. It is windy and steep and the weather conditions can make it quite misty and slippery, and we do get some hoon drivers up there, so improving safety is absolutely important. Sometimes the drivers can be a little bit reckless as well.

The minister suggested in her letter back to me that observers report action to police or to Crime Stoppers, but really that is not very useful in preventing a cyclist being hit by a car. We need to stop accidents from occurring rather than, as I said earlier, being reactive, because it is a matter of time. Cycling safety should be made a priority. It is a shared road, and increasing the amount of cyclist safety signage would certainly help protect them by reminding drivers to slow down and to be aware. The inclusion of convex mirrors could aid blind spots on the road and would provide that extra needed vision for drivers, while again reminding them of oncoming cyclists and vehicles. It is a quick, achievable and effective fix that I have put forward here, and I think that the minister would be wise to pursue this, because everybody is a winner. As I said, it is cheap and easy and will not break the bank.