Tuesday, 14 November 2023

Heidelberg-Kinglake Road

Cindy McLEISH (Eildon) (19:16): (439) Again I have a matter for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. The Heidelberg-Kinglake Road from St Andrews to Kinglake continues to cause problems for road users in my area. The action I seek is for the minister to implement the range of required safety measures to make this road safe. If the minister took the time to drive that road, the problems would be self-evident, and she would have a very clear understanding of the challenges of this steep and windy road. Very quickly the minister would see that you need to have your wits about you and the obvious measures that could be put in place to make the road safer. Despite the challenges of driving this, it is used regularly. It is used daily, particularly by those in Kinglake travelling south either to the Hurstbridge station or to schools in the area. It is the shortest route to Melbourne and to the suburbs for all Kinglake residents. It is also very popular on the weekend for tourists, motorbikes and cyclists, and there have been too many accidents, including fatalities. The local police, CFA, SES and first responder units can attest to this.

I want to outline a number of hazards and dangers. The road twists and turns as it makes its very steep descent or ascent, becoming very narrow in places, and has limited vision. The lane width is below the standard 2.4 metres in many places. Cars cutting corners and wide trucks are a hazard for oncoming traffic. There are many tight corners, and it is a sheer drop over the side of the road on one side. If you get out and actually look over the side of the embankment, which I have done, in many places it is quite shocking to see the debris from past accidents, because once there is an accident and it goes over the side, you cannot retrieve the vehicle that is there. The embankments are so steep that it is near impossible to recover anything, and you see the old cars, tyres, parts and other rubbish that is in place. It is very tricky on weekends because it is popular for cyclists. I have driven this road many times recently, including on the weekend, and I can see that in the top section, nearer Kinglake, there are a number of potholes that also need to be addressed. Kinglake is renowned for its ordinary weather, and fog can settle; this is also very difficult.

What needs to happen is safety barriers need to be added to prevent people from dropping off the cliff. The road repairs need to be done. If it is possible to widen the road in some spots or if a little bit can be taken off some corners, that would help give greater vision and make the road a little safer. Last year I presented a petition to the house calling for trucks larger than 4.5 tonnes to be banned from using this road, along with the installation of flashing safety lights. It is simply not safe for vehicles of this size. Action needs to be taken. We cannot just have signs saying ‘Stay off it if you’re too big’. We need to have a range of safety treatments, and I urge the minister to get on with this promptly.