VicRoads on speed go-slow

By Tania Martin
AFTER years of inaction from VicRoads, a local council is by-passing the road authority to seek approval for speed-limit reductions.
The Shire of Yarra Ranges is fed-up of waiting and is now calling for the Minister for Roads Tim Pallas to take action and reduce speed limits in 15 townships across the municipality.
A report presented to a council meeting last Tuesday recommended that a letter be sent to the minister outlining the council’s concerns and the need for a reduction to 50 km/h.
This come after Lyster Ward councillor Samantha Dunn called for a report into the problems with town speed limits in Kallista and Selby. For years residents have been calling for VicRoads to fix black spots at the intersection of Perrins Creek and Monbulk Roads in Kallista and Belgrave-Gembrook Road in Selby.
Cr Dunn told the meeting last week that she was ‘outraged’ by comments made by VicRoads in the local media.
The Mail recently reported in its story, ‘Council pushes for lower speed limits’, that VicRoads had done a review of towns such as Kallista and Selby and that the speed limit was appropriate.
VicRoads also told The Mail that it does not have a program to roll out further speed limit reductions through townships.
In response to these comments, Cr Dunn has challenged someone from VicRoads to attempt to cross the main drag in Selby (Belgrave-Gembrook Road), with a child on each hand in the middle of peak-hour.
“It’s impossible and just so dangerous and we (the council) needs to make roads safer for pedestrians,” she said.
Cr Dunn said the council has no confidence that VicRoads will ever review the 50 km/h speed zones in townships.
“Do we have to wait for an accident or even worse a fatality before something is done?” she said at the meeting.
Cr Dunn said it was vital to make sure that it was safe for pedestrians to walk in the shire’s townships.
“We don’t want people to have to drive everywhere,” she said.
Streeton Ward councillor Noel Cliff told the meeting that it wasn’t just Selby and Kallista that were dangerous.
“In Olinda, convoys of cars come hammering the whole way through the mountains,” he said.
“It happens from Montrose to Ferny Creek – it’s not just Selby.”
According to a council report, VicRoads trialled the 50 km/h speed zones in 2003 and that was to be followed by a review.
As part of the trial, eight of the shire’s towns – Monbulk, Belgrave, Lilydale, Healesville, Seville, Yarra Junction, Warburton and Wesburn – had speed limit reductions.
However, the council’s request to also add towns such as Selby, Kallista, Mt Dandenong, Sassafras and Olinda had fallen on deaf ears.
Cr Dunn said it has been more than five years and still the council is waiting for VicRoads to conduct a review.
“There still seems to be no sign that VicRoads is about to review or complete the trials,” she said.
“That’s why we have decided to approach the minister directly.”
Selby resident and road activist Julie Howard said she was sick and tired of VicRoads’s continual lack of action and hopes that the minister will listen to the shire’s pleas.
“We have two blind bends at either end of the town and it’s just so dangerous,” she said.
“We just want a safe road for everyone.”
The Mail contacted VicRoads but was unable to get a comment before going to print.