By Mitchell Clarke
An Upper Beaconsfield resident who was involved in a nasty collision at a notorious intersection on Beaconsfield-Emerald Road has called on councillors and politicians to take action in upgrading this particular stretch of road.
On Monday 22 July, Kimberley was on her way to school pickup when she collided with a vehicle who failed to give way at the intersection of St Georges Road, Salisbury Road and Beaconsfield-Emerald Road.
Travelling with her three month old baby and her four year old son, Kimberley was rattled but uninjured however the impact of the collision was serious enough to set the airbags in her car off.
“We were all ok, the front of my car needs a lot of repair and there’s a possibility that my car is going to be a right-off after the airbags were deployed,” she said.
But it’s not the first time Kimberley has feared for her safety at this particular location, with the collision proving to be a real wakeup call, igniting her to want to take action about the potential risks associated with the intersection.
“It’s a typical scenario, I was going straight and the gentleman was turning right onto Beaconsfield-Emerald Road,” she said.
“I’ve always questioned this intersection, without fail there is a near miss every day.”
The residents of St Georges Road are left with no choice but to travel this intersection daily, and with the stretch of the road becoming popular with motorists travelling to and from nearby suburbs, they believe road accidents will increase.
“There doesn’t need to be major (works), maybe a roundabout to take away the confusion of who gives way, it’d make a world of difference,” she said.
Sharing these concerns is Kate Cannizzaro from the Upper Beaconsfield Association (UBA) Group, a pioneer of change who has taken matters into her own hands.
On Friday 26 July, Ms Cannizzaro and a number of local residents met with Cardinia Shire Council’s general manager Peter Benazic, councillor Brett Owen and Member for Gembrook Brad Battin.
The aim was to ensure their concerns which revolved around the speed of drivers along the road, the lack of driver awareness regarding road rules and the ever increasing road traffic is addressed by the Victorian government.
“Community members discussed concerns regarding driver safety while travelling through the intersection and the risk of having an accident,” Ms Cannizzaro said.
“I think that there needs to be a new assessment of the site, including a traffic analysis.
“There needs to be planning and discussion around possible ways to improve safety. This should include whether a roundabout is viable, or if not other alternatives to increase safety such as reducing speed, line markings or increased signage etc.”
Cardinia Shire Council General Manager Infrastructure and Services Peter Benazic said the intersection has been an ongoing concern for the Upper Beaconsfield residents.
“The Department of Transport is the responsible road authority for this location and will need to investigate and implement any required changes,” Mr Benazic said.
“However, council has been meeting with residents about their current concerns regarding Salisbury Road to discuss an effective advocacy approach and explore ways to partner with the Victorian Government to achieve an outcome.”
The Gazette contacted VicRoads for comment who confirmed there was no improvement works planned, claiming there had only been one recorded crash at the intersection in the past five years.
“The safety of everyone on our roads is our priority,” a VicRoads spokesperson said.
“We’ll continue monitoring this intersection for potential safety improvements.”
They claim the concerns from the residents regarding speed and not following road rules are instead matters for Victoria Police.
In the meantime, Ms Cannizzaro is organising a petition with the assistance of Brad Battin who has confirmed that he will support taking the issue to Parliament.
Set to be signed by a number of residents at a community forum before being sent off to Minister for Roads and Road Safety Jaala Pulford, it’s hoped that works are completed before a tragedy occurs.
“It’d be great not to have to stress about it (the intersection),” Kimberley said.
“Even with a great deal of effort, it’s a real struggle to get anything done.”
