Thursday, 13 November 2025

 Anthony CIANFLONE (Pascoe Vale) (14:55): My constituency question is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. How can the Department of Transport and Planning make the Sydney Road corridor through North Coburg safer between O’Hea Street in the south and Boundary Road in the north? Sydney Road is a major north–south arterial corridor that facilitates thousands of freight, private vehicle, public transport, commuter and vulnerable road user movements every day. However, it is particularly through the North Coburg corridor that it continues to experience unacceptably high rates of fatalities, serious injuries, accidents, close calls and near misses where this portion becomes particularly narrow and hazardous. There were, concerningly, over 200 collisions recorded between 2012 and 2024. This included an estimated 77 fatal or serious injuries, and the highest collision rates were between the Bakers Road and Boundary Road intersections, with 73 per cent of accidents taking place from 7 am to 7 pm. That is why I am proud to be sponsoring a community petition led by Drew Roberts from the Liveable Sydney Road group that has so far accumulated 300 signatures and is calling for safer speeds; improved signage; safer tram, bus and transport interchanges and stops; enhanced pedestrian crossings; dedicated turning lanes; traffic-calming measures; and greater provisions and protections for pedestrians, cyclists and road users.