Tuesday, 2 May 2023

Northern Metropolitan Region

Samantha RATNAM (Northern Metropolitan) (14:10): (117) My constituency question is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. Yesterday morning I joined local residents, students, parents and councillors at the Bell Street bridge in my electorate of Northern Metro. This high-risk bridge sits at the intersections of Bell, Elizabeth and Nicholson streets and is frequented by pedestrians, cyclists, students from the nearby Coburg High School and travellers on the number 1 tram. The bridge’s narrow footpath, sloped curves and poor traffic separation make it extremely unfriendly to active transport users, and there have been multiple collisions and near misses. Despite the tireless advocacy of residents campaigning for safe access over the bridge for over a decade, there is still no plan to improve safety at the intersection. The only safety measures have been minor traffic calming paintwork applied 12 months ago, which has done little to slow traffic. The area urgently needs a full review of risk areas around the intersections of Bell, Elizabeth and Nicholson streets and a plan of action to improve safety for bridge users. Minister, will you commit to immediate safety improvements to the Bell Street bridge in this month’s state budget?