Wednesday, 19 June 2024

Western Freeway

Luba GRIGOROVITCH (Kororoit) (19:10): (716) The adjournment I wish to raise is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. The action I seek is for the minister to investigate the need for the installation of temporary traffic light signals at the Leakes Road northbound and southbound exits off the Western Freeway. We have already invested $10 million in delivering the business case to upgrade this important stretch of the Western Freeway and we have brought forward the removal of dangerous level crossings along the Melton line because we are getting on with addressing the critical needs of tens of thousands of daily commuters.

As a Labor government, we know how important is to have safe and reliable roads. That is why we have invested $35 billion since 2014 to expand our road network and deliver important improvements, making our roads safer for every Victorian. However, with 72 families moving into the Melton LGA every week, families trying to navigate leaving the Western Freeway at Leakes Road are finding themselves faced with dangerous intersections and lengthy delays.

The areas of Rockbank, Truganina and Aintree, including the estates of Mount Atkinson, Grandview and Bridgefield, are the fastest-growing areas in Australia. Residents in these areas face the complexities each day of being in an emerging suburb, and for their movement they rely heavily on their cars. I receive reports regularly about the dangerous manoeuvres drivers are doing to try and avoid the lengthy delays faced at these intersections, putting both themselves and other commuters on our roads at risk. With more residents moving into these areas and the nearby estates, more and more families are risking their lives each day as they navigate these dangerous intersections, and a solution needs to be investigated so the residents of Kororoit can get home sooner and of course safer.