Tuesday, 28 July 2026

 Anthony CIANFLONE (Pascoe Vale) (19:09): (1732) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, and the action I seek is for the minister to provide an update on the ongoing actions the Victorian Labor government is continuing to pursue to make our local road and transport corridors safer for vulnerable road users across Pascoe Vale, including the Boundary Road corridor. The Boundary Road corridor is a key east–west state corridor across the north of my electorate that connects locals through Pascoe Vale North, Pascoe Vale, North Coburg and Merlynston to work, learning, shops, services and homes. It connects locals from the Pascoe Street shops to the west, including the George Jones cafe and Augustus Gloop Gelatery; through to the local schools of Pascoe Vale Girls College and Westbreen Primary School; through to the Pascoe Vale Gardens Retirement Village for our elderly, the Boundary Road shops, where the Westbreen Florist is, and our sporting and recreational spaces at Hallam Reserve; through to the northern golf course at one end and John Fawkner cemetery at the other; as well as Merlynston station, Fawkner station, the Upfield rail corridor, Fawkner police station and the Sydney Road–Hume Highway corridor.

However, since I was elected, an increasing number of locals have continued to contact me raising concerns and calling for new measures to help make the corridor safer – I will get to the names in a second. The Department of Transport and Planning’s (DTP) holistic review of the boundary corridor, with a view to considering and implementing the range of local views and priorities, includes greater provision for cyclists, pedestrians and vulnerable road users. Reducing the standard variable speed limit from 60 kilometres to 50 kilometres and expanding the 40-kilometre school speed zone will better protect Westbreen and Pascoe Vale Girls students, and an extension will also help better protect Pascoe Vale Gardens’ elderly residents.

Targeted measures at the corridor’s key intersections, including at West Street, Pascoe Street and Lake Avenue intersections, will better protect the school students, calm traffic, support safer vehicle turns and better protect families and pedestrians. A local resident who lives on the corner there, Royce Saheed, is a particular advocate, as is the Westbreen school community. At the Cumberland Road intersection, including through the narrower northern portion of Cumberland Road where there is a bottleneck towards the intersection, local parents James and Tamara have particularly strongly advocated for reform. The Landells Road intersection will better protect users at Hallam Reserve, St Oliver Plunkett Primary School and Pascoe Vale Gardens too. There is a dedicated new pedestrian crossing for residents at Pascoe Vale Gardens to safely cross through this portion of Boundary Road at the Hallam–Landells area. The notorious Derby Street–Boundary Road intersection many locals continue to call for a redesign of, with signalisation and slower speeds through an expanded pedestrian crossing and an island. For the hazardous Sussex Street intersection, I recently had the pleasure to meet with Cr Chris Miles and local resident advocate Natasa Jovic, who recently collected 1200 signatures through a local petition calling for DTP to assess and develop options to reconfigure an intersection, including the provision of a dedicated right-turn lane for westbound vehicles turning into Sussex Street, north towards Hadfield. This is intended to address an identified crash pattern involving through movements from the left-turn lane – Boundary Road east leg.

Locals further would also welcome the removal of the level crossing at Boundary Road for the Upfield line and better bus stops and services along the corridor too, and more protections for vulnerable road users, cyclists and pedestrians across each and every one of those intersections. I welcome the minister to come and visit and meet with these residents too.