2018-05-10
Ms PENNICUIK (Southern Metropolitan) — My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. Residents living on and near Yarra Boulevard in Kew continue to raise concerns about the use and safety of this road, which is under the care, management and responsibility of VicRoads, with council responsible for the footpaths and Parks Victoria for the adjacent parkland. The concerns of the residents relate to safety, speed and hooning traffic late at night. A petition on this issue from residents was presented to the council in August 2016 and to VicRoads in May 2016. Community forums were held in December 2016 and December 2017, organised by Victoria Police and attended by VicRoads, the City of Boroondara and Parks Victoria, where the community's concerns about the safety of Yarra Boulevard were raised.
Yarra Boulevard saw 34 crashes in the five years ending 30 June 2017, including one fatal accident near Yarra Street and 14 serious injury crashes. While the road is under the care and management of VicRoads, council officers have examined the crash history and undertaken speed and volume surveys to guide their advocacy with VicRoads. The council officers are working with VicRoads, Victoria Police and Parks Victoria to develop a solution to the issues.
Potential treatments have been developed, and the community has been provided with comments through an information session held just in March 2018.
The action that I am seeking of the minister is: will he advise the City of Boroondara when it will be possible for their officers and the officers from the four agencies led by VicRoads to complete the design and consultation related to developing solutions to the issues on Yarra Boulevard? They need to be able to do that before they can then go to consider the reconstruction of the road or any other solutions. They are held up by not being able to go forward with developing these solutions by the four agencies led by VicRoads. My request is that the minister advise the council when VicRoads will actually lead this process.
REPLY on 19 June 2018:
As you may be aware, VicRoads has been working closely with its key partners and stakeholders, the Boroondara City Council, Victoria Police and Parks Victoria, to develop potential safety treatments along Yarra Boulevard.
VicRoads advises me that it is currently reviewing feedback received from the information session held on 28 March 2018. Feedback received from this session, together with its safety record data and input from key partners and stakeholders will inform its endeavours to secure funding for potential safety treatments. VicRoads will continue to work closely with its key partners and stakeholders and advise them of the outcome of the processes, accordingly.