News

Roads | December 16, 2020

More work needed on dangerous intersection

The Nationals Member for Lowan Emma Kealy has spoken in Parliament to ask the Minister for Roads when the dangerous Lubeck-Horsham Road and Murtoa-Glenorchy Road intersection will be made safe.

Ms Kealy raised the matter after local residents reiterated their concerns about poor visibility at the intersection, compounded by roadside vegetation.

Ms Kealy has previously met with locals at the site and seen firsthand how the intersection meets at an obtuse angle, resulting in poor visibility when travelling east or west.

Locals are particularly concerned that a school bus crosses the intersection twice each school day.

The intersection is also on a route used to bypass the Western Highway when the highway is closed due to a serious accident; by a diesel tanker to fuel trains at the nearby Lubeck rail siding; and as a key freight route for quarry trucks, grain trucks, other B-Doubles and farm machinery.

Given the history of accidents at this intersection, Ms Kealy has previously personally nominated the intersection to the Australian Government’s Black Spot Programme and sought Victorian Government funding to have the intersection upgraded.

Speaking in Parliament last week, Ms Kealy said there was recently yet another serious accident at this intersection, following on from a fatality at the same intersection in August 2016.

“Despite minor amendments to the intersection in recent years, locals remain rightly concerned that the key issue that drivers simply have no line of sight to oncoming traffic has not been addressed,” she said.

“It is local CFA volunteers and police who have to attend these crashes, who have to deal with the anxiety of being at another fatality, and it’s locals who fear for their family and friends who they believe are most at risk.

“So please Minister, when will this dangerous intersection be made safe?”

The Minister for Roads has 30 days to formally respond to Ms Kealy’s question.