Thursday, 30 May 2024

McIvor Highway–Mitchell Street, Axedale

Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (18:13): (945) My adjournment is addressed to the Minister for Roads and Road Safety regarding the dangerous intersection at Mitchell Street and McIvor Highway in Axedale. Local residents have been advocating for changes to improve the safety of the intersection. Just last week I was actually driving along McIvor Highway through Axedale when suddenly a delivery van came across the intersection at Mitchell Street and hit a car on the opposite side of the road. I stopped as a witness and was standing on the side of the road, just moments later another large truck failed to stop at the intersection and a car had to slam on its brakes to avoid another collision.

The Bendigo Advertiser reported on another incident in January this year when two trucks collided. One failed to give way crossing the highway from Mitchell Street. In another accident just before Christmas, a family with five children got hit by a car that pulled out. Local residents have reported an average of one crash a month, and one local resident of 30 years has seen a lot of crashes on the corner, including two that have been fatal. Some local residents are opting to completely avoid the dangerous intersection.

I see on the Axedale Our Town – Our Future Facebook page that locals have been advocating for changes and they wrote to the Premier, as it is actually in her electorate. The Premier raised it with the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, and works were due to be completed in March this year, but it appears as though little has been done to improve the intersection, and further works are still required. Local residents lodged a petition with the City of Greater Bendigo, and on 22 April council considered their petition, which called for safety improvements, namely flashing lights at the intersection. Council confirmed that the McIvor Highway is an arterial road managed by the Department of Transport and Planning on behalf of the state government, and the meeting also noted that the entire intersection, including warning signage along Mitchell Street, is the Department of Transport and Planning’s responsibility. The city has written to DTP and the state government seeking their review of the intersection and identification of potential improvements. The council have also previously asked DTP to consider improvements at the intersection through the federal government’s black spot program.

Under the Road Management Act 2004 DTP is responsible for the management of the entirety of the intersection. Given the responsibility for this intersection lies with the state government, on behalf of the residents of Axedale and all those who travel along McIvor Highway, the action I seek is for urgent works to improve the safety of this intersection, including the installation of flashing lights.