By Parker McKenzie
An intersection at McMahons Road and Burwood Highway in Ferntree Gully has received funding to be upgraded with lights in the 2022/23 State Budget.
Two state MPs from the Labor and Liberal parties have called for a signalised intersection with traffic lights and crossings for pedestrians, with the State Liberal Party promising the upgrade if elected to government in both 2019 and again this year.
In early March, Bayswater Labor MP Jackson Taylor launched a petition to present to Minister for Roads Ben Carroll calling for the upgrades to be funded and completed. 600 local residents signed the petition before it was given to the Minister by Mr Taylor.
Mr Taylor thanked the located community, who he said got behind his campaign from day one to help ensure the upgrade happened.
“I’m absolutely stoked that, as your voice in the State Labor Government, I’ve been able to deliver this upgrade, getting this done once and for all,” he said.
“For too long, others have talked about this but actions speak louder than words. Only the State Labor Government will deliver this fix with real funding in the budget.”
Mr Taylor’s electorate of Bayswater previously did not include Ferntree Gully, however, a boundary redivision in 2021 abolished the district of Ferntree Gully, dividing it between Bayswater, Rowville and Monbulk.
Liberal Ferntree Gully MP Nick Wakeling, who may go head-to-head against Mr Taylor for the seat of Bayswater in the November state election, called on the State Government to match the opposition’s pledge to fund the upgrade on Friday 18 March and has raised the issue 41 times in Parliament since 2016.
Mr Wakeling said the Labor State Government has previously rejected his constant advocacy for the upgrades.
“Pleasingly for the Ferntree Gully locals the government has finally listened, followed the lead of the Liberal Party and agreed to fund it, which is an important outcome for residents,” he said.
“It shouldn’t have taken this long, at the 11th hour before an election to be delivered.”
The project was funded as a part of a $126 million package for road upgrades across suburban and metropolitan Melbourne, with the final cost for the signalisation and upgrade not included in the 2022/23 budget.
