Thursday, 1 August 2024

Glen Waverley electorate road safety

John MULLAHY (Glen Waverley) (17:36): (760) My adjournment matter is directed to the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, and the action I seek is for the minister to review the speed limits along High Street Road in my electorate between Gallaghers Road and Kerrie Road in Glen Waverley. The area around Gallaghers Road and Kerrie Road along High Street Road is highly frequented by residents of the Glen Waverley district. High Street, Highbury and Springvale roads are some of the busiest roads, with thousands of cars and pedestrians utilising them throughout the day. Currently there is a potential for confusion for drivers who turn left into High Street Road from Gallaghers Road because of a lack of clear signage which would indicate the speed limit.

This government is committed to ensuring the safety of Victorian road users so everyone can get to where they need to go whilst doing so in a safe and appropriate manner. More than 200 people lost their lives on Victorian roads in 2021, even as traffic was reduced throughout the pandemic. This horrific statistic points to the imperative for governments to act to ensure that we are on a path to eliminating such tragedies. One such program is the Road to Zero initiative, which is a free program that encourages students to explore how we can stop deaths on our roads. I strongly support this program as it targets students from year 9 onwards, the age at which many young adults start driving. Road safety education is crucial in shaping young people’s attitudes and perceptions and will reduce their risks of being involved in a crash.

Further, as a member of the Legislative Assembly’s Economic and Infrastructure Committee that recently delivered a report into the impact of road safety behaviours on vulnerable road users, I take pride in knowing that this government is investing to build infrastructure that will protect vulnerable road users. Whether it be upgrading signals, improving pedestrian crossings or installing speed humps, these infrastructure investments protect not only the vulnerable road users themselves but all Victorians. I sincerely thank the minister and her team for the tireless work that they do in keeping Victorians safe on our roads, and I look forward to the minister’s response.