By Rowan Forster
Ailing trees are collapsing across high-speed sections of road in the hills, serving as a severe hazard for motorists.
In recent weeks, three trees have fallen onto Wellington Road, Cockatoo.
In one instance, a young woman was forced to plough into a rotten base, which crumped right in front of her car and caused a collision.
Ian Robbins, from Cockatoo, has taken matters into his own hands – concerned the issue could result in a serious crash.
Mr Robbins contacted VicRoads, but was reportedly told that “there is no immediate hazard”.
He is now warning the community to be alert and vigilant when travelling between Cardinia Shire’s northern townships.
“I value the trees along road reserves and don’t want to see trees removed without strong reasons,” he said.
“Equally, I don’t want to see serious accidents caused by trees which have a limited future.”
“On a low volume-low speed road it is reasonable to conclude the risks are low, but parts of Wellington Road carry 20,000 vehicles per day in sections where the speed limit is 90km/h.”
Since Mr Robbins corresponded with VicRoads, another tree collapsed onto a road in Clematis, west of Emerald.
The tree was later discovered to be hollow and in poor health.
Another driver, Aaron Frank from Belgrave, stood behind Mr Robbins’ comments, describing many of the tree species throughout the hills as “unpredictable”.
“It takes your eyes off the road when you’re constantly watching for the trees that are overhanging the road,” he said.
“I wouldn’t support them being nonchalantly ripped out, but they definitely need an arborist to head out and assess this.
“Who will be liable if one collapses on a car and kills somebody?”
Northern townships of Cardinia Shire and the Yarra Ranges are susceptible to tree collapses, with a high-density of trees adjoining major roadways.
Recent gale force winds have likely exacerbated the issue.
VicRoads will reportedly keep a close eye on the issue and monitor the health of saplings close to roads.
