The completion of improvement works to the Green Gully Road on-ramp to the Calder Freeway has eased congestion, but failed to eradicate a major problem, according to a local resident.
Works were completed earlier this month to expand the ramp to two lanes and add new safety roller barriers.
Residents complained that during the upgrades, congestion on Green Gully Road, particularly in peak hour, brought traffic to a standstill. VicRoads long maintained that once the upgrades were complete, congestion would be reduced.
However, Calder Rise resident Hannah Robertson, who created a Facebook page which highlights the problems, said it’s only a partial solution.
“Traffic seems to be better during peak hour, typically between 7.30-8.30am,” Ms Robertson said. “However the school run is appalling. People are still using an imaginary third lane, so it’s often three cars lined up side by side where there are only two lanes.”
Presently, the stretch of Green Gully Road between Driscolls Road and Old Calder Highway is two lanes, however the left lane is so wide that drivers are using the far left as a third lane.
“It’s a really dangerous situation. We’re getting people pulling out to the left at high speed and going down a third lane where there isn’t one,” Ms Robertson said.
“There’s been at least eight accidents in the past year that I can recall and as the population grows and more people are on the roads, this problem will only expand.”
Ms Robertson wants VicRoads to move the lane line to the left to eliminate the problem by evening up the road.
“If they narrowed the lane slightly, there wouldn’t be space for this imaginary third lane and the problem wouldn’t exist.”
While the lane issue is causing problems, Ms Robertson said the long-term benefits of the upgrades are a wait-and-see situation.
“Things seem to have improved with congestion in peak hour, but the lights on the ramp aren’t yet working, so it will be interesting to see what that does for traffic flow.”
