Tuesday, 30 August 2022

 Ms BURNETT-WAKE (Eastern Victoria) (20:18): (2091) My adjournment matter is to the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. The action that I seek is for the minister to consult with the St Pauls Road safety action group and then work with the Mornington Peninsula council and provide additional funding to address the urgent pedestrian safety issues on St Pauls Road, Sorrento. I thank the Liberal candidate for Nepean, Sam Groth, for raising this matter with me. He is a fantastic candidate.

St Pauls Road, Sorrento, is a very busy road used by motorists, buses, trucks, cyclists and many pedestrians. It runs across the width of the peninsula. It is a main thoroughfare. There are currently no pedestrian crossings to cross Nepean Highway or Melbourne Road for pedestrians to safely get to the Sorrento foreshore playground or the beach near or adjacent to the very busy St Pauls Road. VicRoads has, however, committed to the installation of a pedestrian crossing on Point Nepean Road near Holyrood Avenue to give pedestrians safe access to the beach. This is a few streets over from St Pauls Road, with both of these roads running off the Nepean Highway across from the foreshore. The VicRoads project development team has assessed the Holyrood Avenue location as the priority based on safety and accessibility. However, it was recently revealed that no pedestrian surveys were conducted prior to deciding on this location.

Sam Groth was recently contacted by the St Pauls Road safety action group. The action group firmly believe the crossing would be better situated near St Pauls Road. Given that St Pauls Road runs directly down to the beach, it is regularly used by pedestrians and mothers with prams who are walking down to the foreshore. There are over 10 bus stops along the road, which results in even more people crossing the road. School-aged children use the road to ride to school, and there is currently no footpath for this to be done safely. The speed limit on St Pauls Road is currently 60 kilometres an hour, but many motorists and buses travel over this speed. It is a built-up street with shops and no footpaths for pedestrians, but it is not uncommon for cars to be travelling at over 70 kilometres an hour. Speed limits on surrounding streets with arguably less pedestrian traffic have been reduced to 40 kilometres an hour.

The road desperately needs a pedestrian path or designated markings for pedestrians. Police have been called in the past for hoon driving and near misses. On top of this, the condition of St Pauls Road is deteriorating, and it regularly floods. Vehicles must swerve to avoid potholes and the sides of the road are crumbling. The residents need to be listened to and consulted. I call on the minister to consult with the St Pauls Road safety action group about the issues raised and their concerns and then work with the Mornington Peninsula council to provide additional funding to address the urgent pedestrian safety issues on St Pauls Road in Sorrento.