By Corey Everitt
Tynong locals have taken the initiative in uniting Cardinia’s railway towns who want to see a better Princes Freeway, starting a petition that pleads for the State Government to prioritise upgrades ‘before another life is lost or major accident occurs’.
Many commuters would be well aware of the seemingly perpetual upgrades occurring on the Princes Highway and Freeway, yet when they conjoin beyond Pakenham it’s like a time capsule of the old highway.
It’s the local concerns over this stretch of road between Nar Nar Goon and Bunyip that the Tynong Progress Association (TPA) believes have been ‘unaddressed’.
The specific action is for the State Government to undertake a masterplan that prioritises funding for Princes Freeway intersection upgrades between the rail towns.
The TPA recently began a petition to State Parliament, president Pauline Preston said funding for upgrades to its many intersections is ‘desperately’ needed.
“Townships such as Nar Nar Goon, Nar Nar Goon North, Tynong, Tynong North, Maryknoll, Garfield, Garfield North, Bunyip, Tonimbuk need permanent traffic solutions such as slip lanes, intersection upgrades and flyovers,” Preston said.
“There are regularly incidents at many of these intersections and locals know there are many more that go unreported.
“We want to see funding committed to plan for the upgrade of these intersections immediately.”
In the few weeks since it was initiated, the petition has garnered over 600 signatures online and in person.
It has been sponsored by Narracan MP Wayne Farnham, who has raised the issue in Parliament before.
“The current state of our road network is disgraceful and is only continuing to deteriorate under the Allan Labor Government,” Farnham said.
“This petition I’ve been asked to support clearly demonstrates the frustration our community has with the state of our roads and lack of funding from this government.
“This road and these intersections were completed in the 1980s and while we’ve seen huge population growth right through this corridor there has been no significant upgrades to intersections to support communities.”
Speed limits have been reduced in sections down to 80km/h, but both Farnham and Preston believe it is ‘not good enough’ without substantial upgrades.
The Princes Freeway is the main route beyond Cardinia into Baw Baw Shire, which is projected to grow by 20 percent over the next two decades.
The operation of quarries through the area means a significant presence of trucks on the freeway, there is a current proposal for a future quarry in Bunyip North.
The petition also calls to address the condition of the freeway which if the increased traffic is not accommodated, especially the increase in heavy vehicles, then they believe it won’t get any better.
“The condition of the freeway is also a huge concern. Many sections are already failing and with the increase in traffic it is only going to get worse,” Preston said.
“Residents were also very concerned with the huge number of truck movements from local quarries and they have only continued to get busier and busier.”
Farnham placed the blame on increased trucks feeding the city’s Big Build sites, while the communities in between are left with ‘crappy roads and dangerous intersections’.
“We require vehicles to be roadworthy in Victoria, yet under the Allan Labor Government, there seems to be no plan to ensure roads are actually worthy of our vehicles,” Farnham said.
Preston said the TPA surveyed local communities two years ago where the issues of safety along the freeway emerged as ‘major concerns’ that have been ‘still unaddressed today’.
“We need action from the State Government that supports communities long term and ensures the safety of all road users on the Princes Freeway and beyond,” Preston said.
Farnham said the petition had his ‘strong’ support and that he would ‘continue to fight’ for upgrades and funding.
The petition will close on 10 March 2025 and will be tabled before Parliament at a later date.
You can view the petition online at parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/petitions/princes-freeway-intersections-between-nar-nar-goon-and-bunyip/
