Councillors at last Tuesday’s meeting of the council expressed their dissatisfaction and disappointment at the Department of Transport’s response to safety concerns from residents regarding Duke Street Castlemaine.
A group of Wesley Hill residents wrote to Mount Alexander Shire Council (MASC) requesting support to approach the Department of Transport (DOT) regarding road safety along Duke Street Castlemaine.
MASC Mayor Councillor Rosie Annear said she hopes that DOT takes this matter seriously.
“We heard a lot of stories about near misses, close calls, and actual accidents that may not have been captured by data,” commented Mayor Annear.
“Many of these involved children, older people, people living with a disability, and also cyclists and we’re committed to making roads safer for these people.
“I would prefer our community is as safe as possible and that we are able to address safety concerns before an accident occurs, not afterward,” Mayor Annear said.
A council officer followed up with DOT and was advised that it would investigate a reduction in the speed limit from 60km/h to 50km/h, however, they advised it may not be consistent with speed zoning guidelines.
DOT also advised the council that they would investigate the provision of a pedestrian crossing, but it may be a low priority for funding considering the relatively low pedestrian volume and lack of any reported crashes in the last five years.
Cr Gary McClure said that Duke Street splits activity at Wesley Hill down the middle and people do need to cross the very busy road, including children catching buses.
“I’m a little bit disappointed to hear that DOT are fairly disinterested in looking at this when they can see there have been no accidents in the area in the past five years,” commented Cr McClure.
“It’s terrible to think it would take an accident before they would look at this.”