Wednesday, 3 May 2023

Essendon and Essendon North road safety

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (17:17): (171) My adjournment today is directed toward the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, and the action I seek is to urgently draw the minister’s attention to two increasingly dangerous intersections in Essendon and Essendon North. These are the intersections of Mount Alexander, Keilor, Bulla and Lincoln roads and of Mount Alexander Road, Leake Street and Glass Street. I ask this because the local member seems more interested in his share portfolio than his actual community.

These two intersections sit just 300 metres apart, and both feature a double-lane roundabout combined with two sets of tram tracks, two slip lanes, six lanes of high-speed traffic and six pedestrian crossings. There is also so much going on at these intersections that it is impossible to keep track as a driver or pedestrian, and it is a recipe for disaster. In February alone there were a pair of harrowing crashes at the intersections. One claimed the life of a 99-year-old local woman after her mobility scooter crashed into a tram, and in a separate instance a 30-year-old woman was hospitalised after her vehicle crashed into a route 59 tram. These incidents are unfortunately not the only ones of their kind. In 2018 an accident claimed the life of a 92-year-old Pascoe Vale South man who was struck at the Mount Alexander Road–Leake Street intersection.

For years residents, traders and councils have been pleading with state authorities to fix this mess. In 2016 Laura Taylor from the Essendon North Traders Association highlighted that at least two accidents were occurring weekly and warned, ‘Someone will be killed here one day.’ She was proved right, with two fatalities in less than four years. A 2019 report from Moonee Valley council on the two intersections recommended installing a full traffic signal control at the Mount Alexander Road–Keilor Road–Bulla Road–Lincoln Road intersection. It also highlighted the poor performance of the existing crossing facilities at the Mount Alexander Road–Leake Street–Glass Street intersection, recommending an upgrade to pedestrian-operated signals.

After the February incidents deputy mayor Samantha Byrne took to social media to highlight that 57 reported incidents, numerous council reports and years of advocacy have fallen on deaf ears. I call on Minister Horne to work with Moonee Valley council, VicRoads, the local community and me to find a solution before another life is lost.