A “dangerous” and “hazardous” Delahey roundabout – rated the seventh worst intersection in Melbourne in a 2014 RACV survey – will be removed by May next year.
St Albans MP Natalie Suleyman said she had been informed by Roads Minister Luke Donnellan that works to remove the Taylors Road-Kings Road roundabout would begin in the second half of this year and be completed by May, 2017.
The roundabout is a central transport cog for suburbs including Delahey, Sydenham, Taylors Lakes, Deer Park, Kings Park, Taylors Hill and Caroline Springs.
Its removal has been supported by various state MPs within Brimbank, including Natalie Hutchins and Marlene Kariouz.
The government committed $6.1 million in last year’s budget to remove the roundabout and install traffic signals and a safe pedestrian crossing.
Road rage common
The roundabout was voted as Melbourne’s seventh-worst intersection in the RACV’s 2014 Redspot Survey.
It stated road rage and near misses in morning and afternoon peaks were common “as drivers try to find gaps to enter this roundabout”.
“This is a big issue for the region, for the thousands and thousands of local motorists who use this roundabout each day,” Ms Suleyman said.
“There are no ifs about it – it must happen. Preliminary works have already begun.
The majority of the works will happen over the Christmas and New Year period, so it should minimise disruption. However works could be brought forward with an earlier completion date than May next year.”
In September last year, Brimbank council said: “safety at the Kings Road-Taylors Road intersection is highly compromised … and is hazardous for pedestrians”.
Western Metropolitan MP Bernie Finn said that due to “extraordinary growth” in the area, queues of traffic banked back for kilometres to get through the roundabout.
