By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
A 265-SIGNATURE petition calling for traffic safety devices in a hoon-hit Endeavour Hills boulevard was presented to Casey councillors Rafal Kaplon and Rosalie Crestani on Tuesday.
The petition, presented by Narre Warren North MP Luke Donnellan on behalf of residents, called on the City of Casey to fund the installation of traffic calming measures in Reema Boulevard.
Gleneagles Secondary College is situated in the boulevard and school council president Jacqui Keyt said the street was dangerous both at night and during the day.
“There’s a lot of congestion there. Ratepayers in the street are concerned with hoons at night, and during the daytime there is a lot of school traffic for long periods of the day,” she said.
“There needs to be more safety devices there, things to make people slow down.”
Mr Donnellan said the petition followed a campaign from residents calling for safety upgrades to the road.
“It’s clear the community want this road made safer,” he said.
“Residents are sick of speeding motorists who break the road rules and put their lives in danger.”
Mr Donnellan said the response to the petition was important, especially for students who attend Gleneagles Secondary College in the boulevard.
“Local school kids deserve to feel safe getting to and from school. Slowing traffic down will deter motorists who travel at unsafe speeds, putting kids’ lives in danger,” he said.
“Speeding is against the law and dangerous to all road users. Local residents shouldn’t have to deal with the risk of dangerous drivers.”
Cr Kaplon said the introduction of safety calming measures at Reema Boulevard would be one of his priorities during the 2014/15 financial year.
“I and Cr Crestani are both aware of the need for traffic calming devices in Reema Boulevard and have been in contact with residents about this issue throughout the year,” he said.
“This petition will be submitted to council and our hopes are that this will justify moving up construction of speed calming devices on the boulevard to the upcoming budget.”
