Tuesday, 30 April 2024

Yan Yean Road upgrade

Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (19:04): (846) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, and it concerns the stage 2 upgrades to Yan Yean Road. The action that I seek is for the minister to commit funding for the stage 2 upgrade of Yan Yean Road and work with local businesses and schools as a matter of urgency to agree on a design that satisfies the interests of all stakeholders.

Yan Yean Road is a disgrace, and the process for planning and delivering the stage 2 upgrades to Yan Yean Road has been shambolic. The government should be planning ahead and building infrastructure well before local demand overwhelms existing roads and services, but unfortunately that has not happened with Yan Yean Road. The area around Mernda, Yarrambat and Doreen has already outgrown the current road system, but the government shows no urgency in catching up. Labor promised to fast-track this project back in 2015, but it is still in the planning stage in 2024, and with every year that passes the project becomes more urgent. In the meantime, the road has fallen into disrepair, cars are regularly damaged by potholes and the single lanes are chronically congested every morning and evening as commuters travel between their homes, schools and workplaces. There are over 24,000 vehicles per day on the road, and traffic chaos is causing regular accidents on the narrow lanes. Just a few weeks ago a young man was walking along Yan Yean Road to the golf club and was clipped by a passing car. Tragically, the collision resulted in a severe brain injury, and he is now in hospital in an induced coma. The government must take action on this road before others are hurt or lives are lost.

Delaying the build is also deeply unfair to local residents whose homes have been captured in the planning overlay and are subject to possible acquisition by the government. They are stuck in limbo, unable to feel settled in their homes and also unable to sell up and move because no-one will buy a house that might be acquired. These residents need a resolution, and they need it now. The duplication of the road must also be sensitive to the needs of local businesses, who rely on passing traffic having access to their car parks and storefronts. Local businesses have expressed a real worry that shifting the path of the road could reroute traffic away from them and make their businesses unviable.

The environment effects statement was completed back in 2020, and in 2021 the Minister for Planning signed off and gave approval for the upgrade to go ahead with some changes. It is now 2024, and while the bridge and road duplication is underway, it cannot go all the way to connect with Yan Yean Road because the shape of the interface between them has still not been finalised. The project has been stuck in the planning phase for far too long. The minister needs to get on with funding and building this section of road infrastructure that is critical for connecting the growing northern suburbs. I would like to thank Richard Welch, who highlighted this issue as the candidate in Yan Yean.