Wednesday, 17 May 2023

 Nicholas McGOWAN (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:39): (179) My constituency question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. It relates to Burwood Highway and McMahon’s Road in Ferntree Gully, within my electorate. In the 2022–23 budget the government announced, as part of the metropolitan road upgrades, signalisation of this intersection. The government also sought community feedback to better understand how people currently use the intersection, seeking views on how the government should be considering their planning. The community were invited to provide their thoughts between 3 and 23 October 2022. According to the government website, planning is underway and is anticipated to be finalised in early 2023 – that is this year – and it will be informed, of course, by the community feedback. Road users and pedestrians have been waiting a long time for the government to address the safety issues at this troubled intersection. With the correct design elements, this long-awaited upgrade will, we hope, improve safety. We are now in May, and I ask the minister: when will the planning process be finalised, and when will the minister confirm the government has indeed used the community feedback to shape the design development aspects of this new intersection?