Thursday, 8 February 2024

Murray Valley Highway–Labuan Road, Yarroweyah

Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (17:33): (690) My adjournment issue is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety regarding the dangerous intersection of Labuan Road and the Murray Valley Highway in Yarroweyah, which was the site of the horrific accident that claimed five lives in April last year. The action that I seek from the minister is for the minister to instruct VicRoads to immediately implement a safety upgrade of the intersection that includes the measures I will outline in this contribution. Nine months have passed since the devastating accident that claimed five lives, and still nothing has been done to improve visibility or safety at this intersection. In fact temporary measures that had been installed, such as an illuminated sign warning of the major intersection and a reduction in speed on the Murray Valley Highway, have been removed. The speed limit on Labuan Road has been reduced to 80 kilometres per hour in an attempt to stop Google Maps sending non-locals on this road, but in reality a collision between vehicles travelling at 100 kilometres per hour on one road and 80 kilometres per hour on the other will still be devastating. I am constantly hearing from local residents who witness vehicles failing to stop at this intersection, with one resident witnessing this just prior to Christmas and again on 4 January. The resident said the cars were not speeding, so the reduction in the speed limit has not assisted. These cars just failed to see they were approaching an intersection with a major highway.

This is an intersection with almost zero warning that you are approaching a major highway. The visibility of the highway and the traffic on it is almost non-existent due to a large hump in the road that was the site of an old rail line and trees on the right-hand side of Labuan Road and the southern side of the Murray Valley Highway. The road surface of the intersection is quite degraded, and the rumble strips are in very poor condition, which has reduced their visibility and effectiveness. I am conscious that the accident is the subject of a coronial inquiry that may make recommendations about this intersection, but the reality is that that will take some time, and it is obvious that something needs to be done now.

Some of the safety improvements that need to be carried out at the intersection include the removal of the significant hump in the road just prior to the intersection on Labuan Road, which was the site of the old rail line; changing the status of the controlling signs on Labuan Road from give-way signs to stop signs; installing flashing lights and a lighted warning sign on Labuan Road; resurfacing the approach to the intersection on Labuan Road and restoring the badly decayed rumble strips; the removal of some of the trees on both sides of Labuan Road that currently restrict the driver’s view of vehicles travelling on the Murray Valley Highway; and lighting the intersection at night. I ask the minister to instruct VicRoads to ensure a full safety upgrade of this intersection is undertaken as a matter of urgency.