Long wait for road safety

By Lia Bichel
A WOMAN who has been living on a notoriously dangerous road said her pleas for safety improvements have fallen on deaf ears for more than 14 years.
Mary Kane, 58, said she first spoke to Casey Council about her safety fears on Narre Warren North Road- Belgrave Hallam Road 14 years ago when her children attended school.
She said she suggested that a roundabout and lights be installed near the Belgrave-Hallam Road intersection.
“I brought it up 13 years ago, when my son was 11 and had to ride his bike to school and cross the busy road. He is 26 now, and still nothing on the road has changed,” she said.
“I still write to council every once in a while. It’s frustrating that nothing has been done. There have been quite a few accidents. People are risking their own lives on that road.
Ms Kane’s concerns echo the fears of neighbours, organisations and local and state politicians who have called for urgent upgrades to Narre Warren North Road- Belgrave Hallam Road, between Heatherton and Ernst Wanke roads.
Last month, P-Plater Anna Castelano, 18, said she received her licence in July and got nervous every day when having to pull out from her Fox Road home at the intersection of Narre Warren North Road.
“Me, being a new driver, am more cautious and nervous,” Ms Castelano said.
“I sometimes get people beeping me to go when I don’t feel safe. It’s nerve-wracking.”
She wrote a letter to Narre Warren North MP Luke Donnellan. He replied it was only fair that Narre Warren North motorists “be delivered adequate funding for simple measures that can make this road safer.”
Cr Shar Balmes said “things needed to change” after a 42-year-old woman died when she was hit by a car on the Narre Warren North Road on 5 September.
She said there needed to be better lighting, more signage and a decreased speed limit for Narre Warren North Road- Belgrave Hallam Road, between Heatherton and Ernst Wanke roads.
Narre Warren North CFA Captain Shaun Trotter said the road was dark, there was a lot of traffic and there was no safe place for pedestrians to cross.
“People are taking their lives into their hands trying to cross the road,” Mr Trotter said.
“If nothing is done, there will be more accidents and fatalities.”
VicRoads regional director Metro South Eastern Victoria Duncan Elliot said VicRoads had no plans to undertake improvements to the road.