Road safety at a crossroads

By Ed Merrison
A FERNTREE Gully intersection is set to receive a $617,000 road safety boost as part of a State Government program to reduce the frequency and severity of accidents.
Ferntree Gully MP Anne Eckstein last week announced the funding for the installation of traffic lights at the intersection of Station Street and Burwood Highway.
The project is expected to be delivered between March and May 2007 and is part of the State Government’s $240 million arrive alive! safer roads program, funded by the Traffic Accident Commission (TAC).
Ms Eckstein said the program aimed to reduce the incidence and severity of intersection crashes and the consequences they brought.
“This intersection has experienced nine casualty crashes over the past five years, including one fatality and four serious crashes.
“The cost to the community of these serious injuries is immeasurable, particularly when you consider the grief and pain of the friends, families and crash victims themselves,” Ms Eckstein said.
Local resident Edward Plenty, who in 2002 successfully lobbied for improvements to the intersection of Glenfern Road and Burwood Highway, said he and other residents had been calling for improvements to the intersection for four or five years.
“I’m very pleased because it’s so dangerous down there. I’ve seen a number of accidents on that corner, and there are a lot of elderly people and people using the (Hillview) Shopping Centre there now,” he said.
Mr Plenty said the lights would be synchronised with other signals from Forest Road to Glenfern Road to ensure a smooth flow of traffic on Burwood Highway.
The arrive alive! program is a Government initiative to tackle the road toll and help achieve a 20 per cent reduction in fatalities and serious injury crashes on Victoria’s roads by 2007.
At the end of 2005, a 22 per cent drop in road fatalities had been achieved since the introduction of arrive alive!, together with a reduction in the number and severity of injuries resulting from crashes.