Safety measures for intersections

By KATH GANNAWAY
BOTH ends of Furmston Lane in Healesville will be fitted with chicanes and stop signs and marked with new lines in a bid to make intersections at either end safer for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.
The danger of the Green Street and Furmston Lane intersection was highlighted last month when a young cyclist riding along Green Street on the footpath was injured when he collided with a car coming out of the lane.
The incident led to calls for the lane to be made into a one way street.
The Shire of Yarra Ranges’ executive officer of developments and traffic, Geoff Davis, said while a survey of property owners along Furmston Lane had indicated support for the proposal to make it a one way street, it had also thrown up some “significant problems”.
Healesville Chamber of Commerce president Gary Slater said a number of members would be affected. He said the chamber’s response following discussion at its July meeting was that if the lane was to be made one way, it should exit onto Green Street, not Church Street as suggested.
“While people felt oneway traffic would be a bit safer there were concerns about the way it would effect delivery trucks,” Mr Slater said.
“With larger delivery trucks some can’t actually get into driveways and most of the access is on the left hand side of the vehicle, which could cause problems.”
Owner of French’s Laundry, Anthony Schache, is a local deliverer who would be effected.
He said deliveries to Healesville Hotel would be particularly difficult.
“Where we currently go in from Maroondah Highway, if it was oneway exiting into Church Street we would have to back out onto the highway because a long wheel base van can’t get around into the laneway.”
The doors on delivery trucks are on the lefthand side, which would also cause problems for offloading in Furmston Lane, Mr Schache said.
Mr Davis said the concerns of traders, and particularly the safety issues that would arise from vehicles backing onto Maroondah Highway, had been taken into account.
Mr Davis said the shire would widen the footpath at Green and Church streets and put in chicanes to divert pedestrians and cyclists away from the mouth of the laneways.
“We need to slow vehicle traffic down and slow pedestrians down too. There’s no point in tackling one and not the other,” he said.
He said schools and parents also needed to educate children on how best and where to ride bikes.
He said signs and line markings were expected to be in place soon, and that it was hoped the chicanes would be installed within four or five weeks.