Families call on Baillieu to fix Somerton Road now
Posted: Wednesday, 15 February 2012 | By: Daniel Andrews
The Baillieu Government’s continuing failure to fix one of Victoria’s most dangerous roads was putting at risk the lives of local motorists and residents in Melbourne’s north-west, the Leader of the Opposition, Daniel Andrews, said today.
Mr Andrews today joined Member for Yuroke Liz Beattie, Member for Broadmeadows Frank McGuire and local residents to collect a petition with more than a thousand signatures calling on the Baillieu Government to fix Somerton Road and prevent more fatal accidents.
“Somerton Road is just one more example of Mr Baillieu’s failure to invest in infrastructure to support population growth in Melbourne’s outer suburbs,” Mr Andrews said.
“Sadly, this failure is putting at risk the lives of local motorists and residents in Melbourne’s north-west with an increasing number of serious car accidents along Somerton Road.”
It had been almost a year since the RACV identified Somerton Road as one of the most dangerous roads in Melbourne’s outer suburbs.
“It has also been six months since I visited Greenvale to launch this petition calling for an urgent upgrade of Somerton Road to cope with increased traffic caused by population growth,” Mr Andrews said.
“And yet the Baillieu Government has done nothing.
“Meanwhile, as more housing developments are completed and more and more people move to the area, Somerton Road is getting busier and more dangerous.”
The petition called on Roads Minister Terry Mulder to duplicate Somerton Road between Roxburgh Park Drive and Mickleham Road in Greenvale and provide traffic lights at the Magnolia Boulevard, Kirkham Drive and the proposed Aitken Boulevard intersections.
“I have written to Mr Mulder about this issue and raised it in Parliament but he refuses to commit to funding the badly needed upgrade or even come out to see the problem himself,” Ms Beattie said.
“Meanwhile, local motorists and residents have no choice but to use a road that is clearly unsafe and becoming even more unsafe.”
Mr McGuire said people living in Melbourne’s north-west deserved more respect from the Baillieu Government.
“How many more serious accidents need to occur before Mr Baillieu and Mr Mulder wake up from their slumber and get on with making our roads safe?” he said.