Gerald Lynch
The Old Calder Highway is becoming increasingly dangerous for pedestrians to cross.
One Facebook user Graeme Oke took to a community group to voice his concerns about the safety of the area when he was at the Keilor Village shopping centre.
“The speed and aggressive driving of some through the roundabouts and village was not good,” he said.
“It was disconcerting to see an elderly gent with a walker trying to cross over Old Calder Highway.”
Brimbank council have previously tried to rally for greater safety in the area, with a notice of motion dating back to June last year asking for the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) to investigate the operation of the Keilor Park Drive, Old Calder Highway, Calder Freeway intersection to improve safety, traffic flow and congestion.
A council officer said that council is pushing for improvements.
“We’ve been lobbying for greater road interventions and traffic lights to try and mitigate the tremendous speeds on this section of road . It’s very dangerous considering there are schools, kindergartens, sports clubs, medical centres and one of the busiest parks in Brimbank (Lagoon Reserve) full of families and kids on weekends and holidays and also the village shops which forces many people to cross the Old Calder way.”
Council has previously requested In addition, DTP and the Brimbank Highway Patrol of Victoria Police (HWP) have also been requested to investigate improving road safety along Old Calder Highway.
A spokesperson from the DTP said that while they will investigate ways to improve the safety of pedestrians, they urge drivers to be as careful as possible in the area.
“Safety is our number one priority and we welcome community feedback about ways we can improve transport connections on Old Calder Highway in Melbourne’s north-west,” the spokesperson said.
“We urge motorists to look out for pedestrians and drive to the conditions, particularly in busy built up areas, and we will continue to monitor safety along Old Calder Highway.”
Council urges residents hoping for upgrades to the operation of the traffic signals at the intersection of Old Calder Highway and Keilor Park Drive to contact the DTP and voice concerns at www.vicroads.gov.au or by calling 13 11 70.
