By Eleanor Wilson
A deadly stretch of highway in Berwick has again been the site of a collision, after a car struck a pedestrian in the early hours of Friday morning.
It is understood the collision occurred on Princes Highway, near Coniston Avenue, about 5am on Friday 10 March.
A male pedestrian, believed to be in his 30s, was taken to The Alfred hospital in a critical condition, suffering head injuries.
He remains in a critical, but stable condition as of Tuesday 14 March.
The male driver of the car stopped at the scene and detectives are working to establish the exact circumstances of the collision.
It is understood the collision occurred in the vicinity of the intersection that claimed the life of former Casey mayor and councillor Mick Morland in 2017.
Mr Morland was crossing the highway, near Wilson Botanic Park, on his nightly walk when he was struck by a passing car and killed.
His death sparked conversation within the community and local government about the safety of the highway, which is frequented by locals and visitors to gain access to Wilson Botanic Park.
The nearest pedestrians crossings from Wilson Botanic Park are roughly 700 metres in either direction.
In the lead up to the State election last year, Casey Council advocated to the State Government for traffic signals to be installed at the intersection and for street lighting to be upgraded on Princes Highway between William Road and York Road.
Berwick MP Brad Battin also came to the table on the issue, committing $2 million for traffic lights at the site, had the Liberals formed government.
While he was successful in his bid to claim the seat of Berwick, the Liberal Party’s defeat at the State election means the commitment is currently off the cards.
But Mr Battin said he will continue to campaign to his colleagues in Parliament to improve the safety of the road.
“It’s a dangerous spot, we’ve been talking about this for a long period of time,” Mr Battin told Star News on Friday.
“The community knows, after the high profile death of Mick Morland, that we need to do something to fix this intersection.
“We committed to putting in lights, council agrees we need lights, the people dragging their feet is the Andrews Labor Government.
“If they had have done it when we knew the lights were required we wouldn’t have had another incident like today.
“Our thoughts are with the victim and family today and we hope and wish the critical condition improves. “
The State Government was contacted for comment.
Local resident Shaun Grewal, who spent last year campaigning for a set of lights at the intersection, said he was shocked to hear about the news of the collision.
“That’s exactly what we were scared of happening again and the reason we did the campaign – because we didn’t want another person to suffer through that experience,” he said.
“If there is a proper intersection there, we can save lives.”
Mr Grewal said he witnesses community members crossing the busy highway – a main arterial which sees thousands of motorists travelling at speeds of 80 km/h – on a daily basis.
“I don’t have any personal gain – its just me seeing people every single day in the morning risking their lives, running crossing the roads, sometimes families with prams.
“We can’t keep ignoring it, I can’t imagine another tragedy happening – it’ll be too late to act again.
Last year, a petition supporting calls for the lights, started by Mr Grewal and Mr Battin, garnered over 300 signatures from community members.
The petition is still open to signatures and can be found at bit.ly/3NIKkgP
Anyone who witnessed the collision, has CCTV/dashcam footage or information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or crimestoppersvic.com.au
