Island call

RESIDENTS on a stretch of road in Narre Warren fear someone could be killed if a traffic island isn’t installed in their street.
Luke, 25, and his mother Catherine, who asked that their surnames not be used, said cars, trucks, motorbikes and even buses were travelling at speeds well over the 50km/h limit on a daily basis.
Luke said he believed if nothing was done to slow down drivers, there could be a fatal accident.
“I think speed humps and an island on the street would stop a few hoons,” he said.
Catherine agreed.
“I think an island needs to be installed,” she said.
“There are cars that travel about 75km in the 50zone. You can hear their tyres screeching and you just wait to hear a bang. It’s worse on weekends and at nights.”
Their concerns come just weeks after another nearby resident said fatal crashes, near-misses and drag racing had become a frequent issue for residents in Fleetwood Drive.
Kerry Coffey, Principal at Fleetwood Primary School, said she thought speed cameras needed to be put up on the street to deter drivers.
City of Casey Manager Transport Paul Hamilton said the council determined Darling Way did not need traffic calming devices.
He said the council had a Local Traffic Management (LTM) Strategy that provided annual funding for the installation of traffic calming devices throughout the municipality.
“The LTM Strategy assesses and prioritises roads on the need for traffic calming measures based on traffic speeds, traffic volumes and casualty accidents, as well as considering factors such as road geometry, and proximity to schools, shops and playgrounds,” Mr Hamilton said.
“Darling Way has been assessed under the LTM Strategy and it was determined that the current traffic conditions do not warrant the installation of traffic calming devices.”
Mr Hamilton said hoon behaviour should be reported to the Victoria Police and the City of Casey also encouraged any residents that witnessed an incident or had information about people driving in a careless or irresponsible manner to call Council’s toll free ’hoon hotline’ number on 1800 18 HOON (1800 184 666).