High-crash intersection in the funding spotlight

By Rebecca Fraser
A NOTORIOUS Eumemmerring intersection is to come under the State Government’s spotlight following a spate of nasty accidents and calls from concerned residents to install traffic lights at the busy stretch of road.
Casey Council has decided to request and assist VicRoads to assess the traffic management of cars using the Olive Road and Princes Highway intersection.
The section of road has a lengthy accident history and, according to a tabled council report, there were 12 casualty accidents over a five-year period to mid-2004 involving 30 vehicles turning right from Princes Highway into Olive Road, and resulting in 14 injuries.
Residents have written letters to the council calling for the intersection to be better controlled and indicating that at least three accidents occurred there each week.
In 1999 VicRoads closed the right turn from Princes Highway into nearby Doveton Avenue following a spate of similar accidents.
The council report states it appears the accident problem has been shifted from Doveton Avenue to Olive Road.
In February, Eumemmerring teenager Jessica Heus spoke to the News about a crash she had at the intersection in August and called for traffic lights to be installed.
Ms Heus, 19, suffered a minor stroke as a result of the collision and needs further plastic surgery to help repair facial scars.
The former university student also experiences permanent memory loss, weakness in the left side of her body and problems with balance, stability and coordination as well as a serious back complaint. She also lacks concentration and experiences mental and physically fatigue.
Ms Heus’s family and four other Eumemmerring residents sent letters to the council expressing their concerns.
At Tuesday’s council meeting, River Gum Ward councillor Janet Halsall said she was pleased to see closer attention being paid to the notorious intersection.
On a separate issue, some Eumemmerring residents have also presented a petition to the council requesting that traffic management devices be installed in nearby Waygara Street.
However, following a traffic study, council officers said there was little need to install traffic calming measures in Waygara Street.
Instead, the council voted to speak to Victoria Police’s Casey Traffic Management Unit about the speed survey results in Waygara Street and ask that it consider speed enforcement along the stretch of road.
It was also moved that the street be included on the Speed Awareness Mobile Program, which alerts passing motorists to their speed.