Local horse riders are risking their lives every day as a crucial horse crossing signal on the Warburton Highway is still out of order after nearly two years, prompting renewed demands for a fix.
The stakes were raised in late October after horse rider Andrea Newstead and her friend were inches away from an oncoming car which had ignored attempts to slow down traffic.
“The traffic was backed up, someone didn’t want to wait. They ended up going around the traffic, and they almost hit me, I felt it brush past my knees. I was that close,” Ms Newstead said.
But the crossing at the intersection of Warburton Highway, Quayle Road and Wallace Road has been out of order since around February 2024 when state Evelyn MP Bridget Vallence first called on the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) to fix the issue.
“20 months ago I wrote to the Minister for Roads about the broken crossing signal… and despite the government stating they had fixed it in February 2024, here we are yet again. It’s simply not good enough…” Ms Vallence said.
Ms Newstead said horse riders have been forced to put their lives on the line to help the high number of horse riders cross the road as they travel to major equestrian facilities in Wandin North and Seville.
“So as parents, we have to wave down traffic to stop them because the lights that are there… don’t work and haven’t worked for many years,” Ms Newstead said.
“We have to hail traffic, stop it, and get abused. We’ve had beer cans thrown at us, we get tooted, revved at.”
The DTP sent crews to repair the crossing in February 2024 and July 2025, but the signals stopped working soon after due to uncontrolled conditions affecting communication.
A DTP spokesperson said the DTP would continue to investigate solutions to repair the horse crossing at Wandin North
“We encourage everyone to remain vigilant while travelling on our roads – whether you are driving, walking or riding, you should always obey road signage, watch for oncoming traffic and monitor your surroundings,” a DTP spokesperson said.
Federal Casey MP Aaron Violi backed Ms Newstead and said he was committed to finding a solution.
“I have previously written to local council and the Victorian Minister for Roads and Road Safety to determine whether further safety measures could be implemented.
“The Victorian Department of Transport disappointingly advised “there are no current plans to implement changes at this location.”
The DTP didn’t address specific questions about temporary safety measures put forward by the Star Mail.
“This is a safety concern that impacts not only horse riders, but also pedestrians and drivers who need clear warning that someone is crossing the busy highway to ensure safety,” Mr Violi said.
Emails between Transport Victoria and Ms Newstead confirmed the DTP has made the matter a priority internally, though it couldn’t give a timeframe on when the fix would be delivered.
Ms Newstead demanded action from the DTP before someone gets hurt.
“We’ve had to say to them, ‘you have to take liability if somebody gets hit here.’”
“It just feels like it’s getting closer and closer.”
