Plan gets safety on side

By Melissa Grant
A COUNCIL report on the safety of an intersection in Emerald has recommended that a section of Pinnocks Road needs to be widened to prevent motorists from ending up on the wrong side of the road.
Civic leaders last week noted the need to spend $26,000 to improve the Pinnocks Road and Belgrave-Gembrook Road junction amid concerns that a serious crash was imminent.
Ranges Ward councillor Graeme Legge said it was concerning that the report stated that vehicles turning left from Belgrave-Gembrook Road onto Pinnocks Road ended up on the wrong side of the road.
“The report doesn’t say a few or sometimes,” he said. “It suggests almost all drivers swerve onto the wrong side of the road.”
The matter was raised with VicRoads personnel at the council’s road safety committee meeting.
According to the council’s report, VicRoads has since advised it has no plans to improve the intersection because it was a local access road and there had been no casualty crashes from the beginning of 2004 to the end of 2008.
Fellow Ranges Ward councillor Ed Chatwin said the latter reason was an “indictment” on VicRoads.
“Basically once you’ve killed yourself then you might get an alteration to the road,” he said.
The report has recommended that the council spend $26,000 to widen a section of Pinnocks Road by 1.5m, from Belgrave Gembrook Road to the Puffing Billy Railway crossing. The road’s centre-line will also be relocated.
Cr Legge said this was an appropriate solution that would “ease” the situation.