By Ethan Benedicto
Residents in Berwick’s south are set to receive a safety upgrade as an elevated crossing across Eden Rise Village is scheduled to begin works in early May.
This development comes as the council was successful in securing a $100,000 grant from the Transport Accident Commission’s Local Government Grant program.
Kowan Ward councillor, Shane Taylor, visited the crossing to make the announcement, where he said that the “council is committed to improving road safety across Casey”.
“I welcome the $100,000 grant via the TAC program; this grant will go towards the installation of a raised pedestrian crossing with flashing lights at the intersection of Cresthaven Boulevard and Ridgemont Drive in Berwick,” he said.
In 2022, traffic surveys conducted at the intersection of Cresthaven Boulevard and Ridgemont Drive revealed a total of 137 pedestrians crossing at this location, respectively 32 crossings in the morning peaks and 37 in the evening peaks.
Over 12 hours, the vehicular count was 9050, and in 2023, there was one serious injury crash.
“Once installed, the crossing will not only provide community members with a safer crossing point, but will reduce the speed of approaching vehicles,” Taylor said.
“Local residents have been strong advocates for safety upgrades in this area and they will be very pleased to see the works commencing in early May.”
Traffic surveys that were conducted outside property 5 Cresthaven Boulevard and 20 metres west of Ridegemont Drive showed 85th percentile speeds of 49.7 km/h going west, and 39.5 km/h going east.
According to the Austroads guide, flat-top speedhumps have a demonstrated history of reducing speeds by up to 24 per cent, with the future raised platform expected to perform likewise.
Works are also expected to be completed in the coming months.
