Wednesday, 18 March 2020

Maroondah Highway

Ms McLEISH (Eildon) (2288)

My adjournment matter is to the Minister for Roads. The current upgrades to the Maroondah Highway between Coldstream and Healesville are causing some angst locally and particularly the proposed 80-kilometres-an-hour new speed limit. The action I seek is for the minister to direct VicRoads to consult directly with local communities by holding specific community sessions in Healesville about the works and the proposed reduction in the speed limit.

Since the works began I have had many constituents contact me frustrated with the delays the works are causing on their daily commute and the fact they had no notice about it. I understand these works are expected to take a considerable period of time, which adds to their ongoing frustration and daily travel time. While all agree the upgrade and turning lanes needed to be provided, they cannot understand the reduction in the speed limit. They tell me that the safety measures currently being undertaken should allow for the speed limit to remain at 100 kilometres an hour. I understand that they are frustrated and aggrieved that there has been no community consultation about the change in speed limit.

Typically, locals believe if they upgrade the road to make it safe, then lowering the speed limit makes no sense. Many believe imposing a new limit is unnecessary and unfair on the locals, who will now have to allow more time to travel—therefore less time at home. Additionally, the road is not particularly dangerous and the installation of left-turn lanes into key businesses will reduce the number of rear-end accidents. People wonder why the highway is not duplicated.

There is also much commentary about the current 40-kilometre speed limit, which goes for the better part of 9 kilometres. Of course, this is also commentary on the number of tourists who travel well below the speed limit on many roads in the Yarra Valley.

VicRoads are currently completing works on the Black Spur and advertised two community drop-in sessions, one in Marysville and one in Healesville, to engage and inform the community of the works being undertaken on the Black Spur. They also sent out a flyer/community update on 2 March 2020 to residents detailing the program of tree removal and maintenance works. Why weren’t similar measures undertaken to engage the community about the Maroondah Highway works between Healesville and Coldstream?

I attended the Black Spur community drop-in session and whilst there observed some information on the Maroondah Highway works between Coldstream and Healesville. These VicRoads sessions, however, did not advertise community consultation about the Maroondah Highway works between Healesville and Coldstream, and, as such, locals impacted by these works did not attend.

VicRoads in fact missed a perfect opportunity to consult with concerned community members on the Maroondah Highway upgrades and proposed reduction in speed limit to 80 kilometres an hour at these sessions. I do understand VicRoads staff dedicated to the Maroondah Highway works attended the Healesville meeting, I am sure at my prompting, and were confronted by some local residents about the change in speed limit.

I hope the minister and VicRoads acknowledge that the community have not been adequately engaged or informed about works on the Maroondah Highway and the proposed new speed limit and will rectify this by holding some community drop-in sessions.