Crash road upgrade bid

By Lia Bichel
GEMBROOK MP Tammy Lobato is calling on the Minister for Roads and Ports Tim Pallas to provide funding for safety improvements to the Beaconsfield-Emerald Road.
The road has been the scene of dozens of smashes and a number of deaths, prompting the call for safety improvements.
The stretch of road from Upper Beaconsfield to Guys Hill, in particular, has been notorious for single-car crashes, Ms Lobato said.
“In the past five years, the road has been the scene of 56 casualty crashes, including six which involved fatalities, and three-quarter of the crashes were run-off-road crashes,” Ms Lobato said.
“The road is busy, windy, lined with trees, and the roadside accommodates much wildlife.”
Ms Lobato said she has seen many accidents on the road when it was wet.
“When there is a lot of rain the roads get slippery,” she said.
“People should alter their driving behaviour according to the road conditions, but sometime’s they don’t – resulting in a lot of accidents.”
VicRoads developed a proposal to address these concerns, as well as other improvements for the road.
Ms Lobato said she was pleased her plea to repair a section between Princes Highways and Inglis Road was successful, but now hoped to receive funding for the multi-million dollar proposal to ensure a range of safety measures along the length of Beaconsfield-Emerald Road.
The safety proposal also recommended reducing the speed limit along one stretch from 100 to 90 kilometres an hour and from 80 to 70 kilometres an hour along another stretch.
Mr Pallas is expected today (Wednesday) to announce funding for road upgrades in the Gembrook district.