Northern Victoria Region
Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (12:46): (1688) My question is for the Minister for Public and Active Transport. The growing town of Avenel in Strathbogie shire is divided by the north-east rail line, which pedestrians must cross to access local services. Multiple passenger and freight trains pass through the town daily, but the area around the train station and rail intersections is lacking basic safety infrastructure. In April a primary school student waiting at the station crossing for a freight train to pass was seriously injured when the edge of their bicycle wheel was caught by the train. The community group Avenel Active have written to the minister twice to put forward their plan to improve the area and to inquire about minimum safety and accessibility standards for rail precincts in Victoria, and they are yet to receive a response. Will the minister act to immediately address the rail and pedestrian safety concerns in Avenel?