By Casey Neill
A “dangerous” Healesville intersection will stay as it is, says VicRoads.
On 11 September the Mail reported that more than 400 people had signed a petition asking Yarra Ranges Council to look at traffic and pedestrian safety at the Maroondah Highway, Badger Creek Road and Wilson Street junction, to see if signalisation or a roundabout could be introduced.
Habituel overlooks the intersection and manager Simon Hall said he’d witnessed “cars taking off at high speeds, and pedestrians taking risks crossing the road”.
Eildon MP Cindy McLeish encouraged local residents to make their voices heard about the intersection.
She spoke about the issue in Parliament, calling on Roads and Road Safety Minister Luke Donnellan to investigate potential safety upgrades.
But on 26 September Ms McLeish said the State Government had confirmed it would not make any change.
She said Mr Donnellan said during debate that he would accept advice from VicRoads.
“There has been a big response from Healesville locals who know the danger this intersection poses to different users,” Ms McLeish said.
“Despite my best attempts to bring the community’s concerns to his attention, the Minister seems to have no interest in working with our community to develop a solution.
“It’s typical of a Minister who makes decisions from an office in Melbourne and doesn’t understand the realities of driving in our rural towns.
“If a Liberal Government is elected this November, I will be committed to ensuring that VicRoads works with our community to find a solution.”
VicRoads movement and safety manager Sasha Yarwood said: “We’ve carried out a comprehensive safety review of the Maroondah Highway and Badger Creek Road intersection and found that the infrastructure already in place is appropriate for the road conditions.”
Mr Yarwood said the review took place in October last year.
This included an on-site inspection, a geometric assessment, consultation with police and a crash data review, which revealed no casualty crashes at the location in the most recent five-year period.
The assessment concluded that the intersection was in a low-speed environment and was clearly marked.
It found there was appropriate infrastructure in place to balance the safety needs of drivers, pedestrians and cyclists, including a pedestrian refuge with fencing on Badger Creek Road and separate bicycle lanes along Maroondah Highway.
Mr Yarwood said VicRoads would continue to monitor the location and consider safety improvements if needed in the future.
