Roads Minister Tim Pallas (left), Seymour MP Ben Hardman and VicRoads’ Michael de Zilwa visited Coldstream to herald $7 billion spent on Victorian roads.
By Kath Gannaway
THE $1.9 million Coldstream traffic lights project was hailed a milestone last week as Roads Minister Tim Pallas visited the site to mark the state’s $7 billion investment in roads.
Mr Pallas and Seymour MP Ben Hardman inspected the works to regulate traffic at the busy Melba and Maroondah highways intersection.
“It is through road projects like the Coldstream intersection traffic lights and the $4.7 million Maroondah Highway safety improvement works happening nearby that we have been able to reach this tremendous milestone,” Mr Pallas said.
He said the $7 billion investment had delivered more than 1900 road safety projects across the state and had been instrumental in achieving a record low road toll.
Both Mr Pallas and Mr Hardman were surprised to hear there had been criticism of the extent of the barriers rolled out along the Maroondah Highway as part of the road safety improvements between Coldstream and Healesville.
The Mail reported in August that Coldstream resident Michael Pettinella mounted a poster campaign on the highway labelling the solid barrier opposite his property a waste of taxpayers’ money.
Several Healesville residents also talked with the Mail questioning the safety imperative for long stretches of barrier along certain sections of the highway, the cost and the visual impact.
“I generally don’t get criticism for an overemphasis on safety treatments,” Mr Pallas said.
“One of the greatest things we can give to people is adequacy of safety treatments. These projects are not designed by politicians.
“We have engineers who give the best designs they can to ensure the right treatment meets not only current safety needs but future safety demands.
“If it comes to a choice between visual amenity and protection of people’s lives, my priority will always be to err on the side of public safety, and I think that is an important point for the community to recognise,” he said.
“We haven’t brought the road toll down to record lows by chance.”
Mr Hardman said the traffic light project would alleviate congestion for the growing number of vehicles using the intersection.
He also defended the Maroondah Highway works saying they were aimed at tackling the high number of run-off road crashes and improve overall safety for the 16,700 vehicles that used the road each day.
“Run-off road crashes are over-represented on this road and in other areas where these (barriers) have been put in place there has been a reduction,” he said.
