Fatal road plea

By Lia Bichel
FOLLOWING the death of a woman on a notoriously dangerous road last week, Casey Council and local firefighters have made a desperate plea for safety improvements.
The woman, 42, died after being hit by a car on Narre Warren North Road on 5 September.
Police said the woman was crossing the road about 6pm when she was struck by a southbound Toyota station wagon.
The driver of the station wagon, a 56-year-old Narre Warren South man, was not injured in the collision and assisted police at the scene.
City of Casey Mayor Shar Balmes said there needed to be better lighting, more signage and a decreased speed limit for Narre Warren North Road- Belgrave Hallam Road, between Heatherton Road and Ernst Wanke Road.
“A beautiful woman, mother, wife is not with us anymore and it’s an absolute tragedy for her family and friends,” Cr Balmes said.
“Things really need to change.”
In November, the Narre Warren North CFA made the same requests and said the road was one of the worst roads in the area.
Together with local residents, the Narre Warren North CFA wrote to the local MP and VicRoads asking for improvements on Horswood Road near Belgrave-Hallam Road.
Captain Shaun Trotter said it was frustrating that no improvements had been made in that time.
“It’s very dangerous and dark and a lot of traffic. There is no place for anyone to cross safely from Ernst Wanke Road all the way to Heatherton Road,” he said.
“People are taking their lives into their hands trying to cross the road.
“If nothing is done there will be more accidents and fatalities.
Cr Balmes said she had advocated for improvements for three years. She would like to see most of Narre Warren North Road duplicated but felt her requests to VicRoads and the State Government were falling on deaf ears, so was focusing her attention on one section at a time.
“If I focus on this intersection, hopefully a roundabout or lights are put in place, so local children can get to school safely and residents are safe,” she said.
VicRoads Regional Director Metro South Eastern Victoria Duncan Elliott said VicRoads was not aware of any safety issues on Narre Warren North Road at the Hallam-Belgrave Road intersection, but would make contact with the City of Casey to identify the particular concerns at this intersection.
“VicRoads has no plans to undertake improvements to this section of Narre Warren North Road at this time,” he said.
Minister for Roads Terry Mulder did not respond to requests made before the News went to print.