Thursday, 19 October 2023

Northern Metropolitan Region

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (12:54): (482) My constituency question is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety and Minister for Local Government. Today my residents in Pascoe Vale are shocked and disappointed that Merri-bek City Council have backflipped and overturned their decision to remove the botched Kent Road bike lanes. I have stood outside Kent Road. You stay there for half an hour and see no cyclists going past while cars have to weave in and out and play chicken through a dangerous road while getting through to the medical centre or childcare drop-off. By making the decision to make the bike routes permanent, the council have voted against the expert advice of their own officers after extensive community consultation. Given the Labor member for Pascoe Vale has called on the council to go back to the drawing board and redesign Kent Road in a manner that better balances the needs of local residents, will the Allan government intervene by any means possible to force the council to make this road safe for local residents and reverse this purely ideological Greens decision?