Liam McNally
Melton council is advocating to the state government to address safety concerns about truck traffic on Christies Road in Ravenhall.
Christies Road forms part of a north-south corridor within the Melton municipality which connects Caroline Springs train station to the Western Highway, and also services Victoria’s largest landfill site.
At a recent council meeting councillor Goran Kesic raised concerns about the road, which he said poses a “great safety risk”.
“Residents of Caroline Springs are sick and tired of dumpster trucks coming from all directions since Christies Road was opened,” he said.
“We had dozens of near misses, some crashes … and it’s time to take action to improve traffic safety.”
Council voted to write to Roads and Road Safety Minister Melissa Horne requesting that the Department of Transport and Planning undertake a safety review, including sight lines and speed zones.
The main concern raised was the number of heavy vehicles using three intersections on Christies Road, one at Ballarat Road, one at Palm Springs, and another at Caroline Springs train station.
Cr Kathy Majdlik agreed that the section of road is “extremely dangerous”.
“Heavy vehicle trucks should not be mixing with regular cars and passenger drivers,” she said.
“We always did mark these concerns when they had opened that extra road to the Ravenhall tip but I hope that the minister will take this seriously and really look at the safety concerns before somebody else gets hurt.”
The Department for Planning and Transport (DPT) said road and intersection improvements are considered based on various factors, regularly monitors the state’s transport network for potential improvement and takes into account advice from stakeholders.
“The Department of Transport and Planning will continue to work closely with councils, who play an important role in guiding and informing future road planning options,” a DPT spokesperson said.
“We all have a role to play when it comes to road safety and we welcome community feedback about how we can make our road network safer.”
