Wednesday, 18 February 2026

 Anthony CIANFLONE (Pascoe Vale) (19:21): (1538) My adjournment matter is also for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, and the action I seek is for the minister to please provide an update on the investments and the initiatives that the Victorian Labor government has been undertaking to make our roads, streets and neighbourhoods safer across Pascoe Vale, Coburg and parts of Brunswick West. As highlighted by the Economy and Infrastructure Committee inquiry into road safety, which I was proudly part of, we must continue doing more to make our roads safer. I draw the minister’s attention to recommendation 5:

The Department of Transport and Planning revise its Speed Zoning Policy to streamline changes to speed limits on a case-by-case basis.

Essentially, the recommendation talks about the need to reform speed limits on arterial roads that go through school areas and catchments, shopping precincts and other activity centres and for the department to take a more flexible approach to adopting safer speed limits in our communities. In this respect I am very pleased to report the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP), as a result of this inquiry, has reviewed and updated speed zoning guidelines to better consider and respond to the needs of inner suburban communities like mine. On 12 December I received a letter from the minister regarding Sydney Road, North Coburg, that informed me that the department of transport supports our community’s calls for safer speeds of 40-kilometre speed limits from 7 am to 7 pm between O’Hea Street and Bakers Road, down from the current 60-kilometre limit, creating a more vibrant and safer Sydney Road, North Coburg, to better balance the needs of all road users. These steps respond directly to the Liveable Sydney Road campaign and calls from many locals I have spoken to, including Mercy College and O’Gorman’s blinds store at the corner of Bakers Road and leading resident Drew Roberts. Just yesterday I was very proud to table a petition for the campaign of 514 signatures that called for this and other changes that we continue to support.

On 18 December the minister for roads also wrote to me concerning road safety on Moreland Road and informed me, thankfully, that DTP have also provided their support for reducing the speed limit to 50 kilometres an hour along Moreland Road through Coburg, down from the current 60 kilometres, and support a new pedestrian crossing on Moreland Road near Queen Street to improve safety for families, children and vulnerable road users. This is very welcome news to many locals, over 2000 of whom previously signed two local petitions that I also supported on this issue. Local families from Coburg West Primary School, St Fidelis primary and Brunswick North Primary are very happy about this news, as is leading local parent Tahlia Azaria.

On 15 January the minister for roads also wrote to me about Murray Road and said that DTP continues to support and hear our community’s calls for better road safety along Murray Road – the implementation of the first-ever 40-kilometre school speed zone along Murray Road, North Coburg, between Stockade Avenue and Outlook Road is an initial step to improving safety in that regard – and that on 25 October 2025 DTP made adjustments to traffic signals programming at the intersections of Murray Road and Stockade Avenue and Murray Road and Newlands Road to allow pedestrians to begin crossing before vehicles receive the green light, making them more visible to turning drivers, and of course that they support and are investigating continued ongoing improvements. I note that there is a road counting mechanism along Murray Road at the moment, but I support these measures.