By Jed Lanyon
The Seville East Traffic Safety Group held a meeting at the Seville Town Hall on Monday 29 April.
The group is made up of concerned community members who live near the stretch of road along the Warburton Highway in Seville East that has seen a number of car collisions recently.
Members of the group are advocating for the highway to be upgraded to have designated turning lanes at Dourthie, Sunnyside and Stuart Roads, as well as an island protected turning lane at Peters Road.
A 54-year-old Woori Yallock man lost his life in a three car collision on 4 April, and then on 15 April, a man fled the scene of a two car collision at the same area in question.
One member of the group and nearby resident to the road, Joel Supple said there had been 22 reported incidents between Woori Yallock and Douthie Road since 2014.
Mr Supple said that four of those have occurred since January 2019.
The group discussed several different options such as a pedestrian overpass, lowering the speed limit, preventing access to certain roads and implementing flashing signs.
“It was really good, we had about 50 people there so it went really well,” Mr Supple said.
The group plans to attend an upcoming council meeting on 14 May to press their claim.
State Member for Evelyn Bridget Vallence believes that continued delays will only put further lives at risk.
“I have listened to residents, police and CFA volunteers and have written to the roads Minister seeking an assurance that funds will be allocated in the State Budget,” she said.
“I am yet to receive a reply.
“In parliament this week I again called on the Government to act urgently and allocate funds in the budget,” Ms Vallence said.
A recent online petition gathered over 1200 signatures.
Mr Supple said the group now has a formal petition that they will use to collect signatures to highlight the issue.
He believes that increased funding into projects like the Redwood Forest and the Warburton Mountain Bike Trail will only exacerbate the current traffic conditions.
Follow the Seville East Traffic Safety Group on Facebook for updates on how to sign the petition.
See page 3 for an opinion piece from reporter Jed Lanyon.
