By Violet Li
As Glasscocks Road veins the lives of Kowan Ward, Star News spoke to Kowan Ward candidates about their perspectives and future orientation towards the road.
Jawad Erfani said he spoke to many residents who had specifically complained about the intersection of Glasscocks Road and William Thwaites Boulevard.
“Their concerns are about the intersection’s confusing design and high traffic volume and as a result, it has become a hazard for drivers and pedestrians,” he said.
“There have been many reports of near misses and accidents…Many families are particularly concerned about the safety of children walking to and from nearby sports clubs on the other side of Glasscocks Road.”
Mr Erfani pointed out that the ongoing safety issue with this road was rather “urgent” and needed “immediate attention” to mitigate the risk of further accidents.
“My view is that while I understand there is a need for necessary technical planning and preparation, we need to find the necessary funds either through putting less critical projects on hold or lobbying for more funding from the State authorities,” he said.
He said for Glasscocks Road, council could consider implementing a multi-pronged approach that combines both immediate and long-term solutions.
He would first advocate for a comprehensive traffic management plan, including the installation of more traffic lights and roundabouts, better road signage, widening the roads and adding one more lane where possible in both directions, more speed control measures, and improved street lighting.
“Also we need a more effective and timely collaboration with State Authorities to streamline the processes with for example VicRoad and at the same time lobby for more funding particularly if lack of resources is the cause for delay in addressing the safety concerns,” he said.
“Another important thing is to create and implement a community reporting mechanism where residents can easily report incidents and issues to capture more data and information so they can be used for any assessment and analysis on what needs to be done to address the issues.”
Bernard Brian Carr said the residents’ concerns on the road were numerous.
“Firstly, the traffic movement from the western end of Glasscocks Road to Narre Warren Cranbourne Road is a ‘rat-run’ through The Promenade, Robinswood Parade, Galloway Drive and Littlecroft Avenue which were not designed to carry, nor should they be expected to carry, the high volumes of traffic they see on a daily basis. They are suburban streets that have been turned into arterial roads,” he said.
“Secondly, the high traffic volumes comprise a significant percentage of large trucks which these streets were not designed to carry. Thirdly, the straight and flat nature of Glasscocks Road results in many drivers exceeding the 70 kph speed limit, often significantly.
“Fourthly, the intersection of William Thwaites Boulevard and Glasscocks Road is one of the most dangerous in the area. The same is true at the Berwick Springs Promenade intersection.”
Mr Carr highlighted that a contributing factor appeared to be a reluctance on the council’s part to commit any funding to the redevelopment of Glasscocks Road until the area to the immediate south of Casey Central Shopping Centre, known as the Casey Central Town Centre Area, took place.
“If the timing for the development of the Casey Central Town Centre Area (i.e. the current farmland to the south of Casey Central Shopping Area) is unknown or in the distant future, one strategy is for the Council to fund the construction of the link road itself, either through revenue and/or debt finance, and recover the capital amount and interest from the eventual developer at a later date. This will make a huge difference to the traffic issues in the area,” he said.
He added several other lower costs strategies for the intersections at William Thwaites Boulevard and Berwick Springs Promenade, including reducing the speed limit through this area to 50kph, installing traffic lights, reconstructing the poorly located exit and entry points to the Berwick Springs Football Club car park.
Kasuni Mendis said from her doorknocking experience, residents were concerned about the traffic on surrounding streets in Narre Warren South, specifically The Promenade, Robinswood Parade and Galloway Drive, and other streets that were a thoroughfare from Narre Warren – Cranbourne Road, into this side of Cranbourne North.
“Glasscocks Road should be extended through to Narre Warren – Cranbourne Road, as is currently planned according to the Precinct Structure Plan for the area,” she said.
“Further to this, residents are concerned about the standard of the existing road extending to Berwick – Cranbourne Road and are calling for an upgrade of the road due to the frequent occurrence of accidents at many of its intersections.”
She said the development of the Casey Central Town Centre Precinct Structure Plan for this area was reliant on the re-development of land currently owned by a market garden.
“I believe this is resulting in council investing minimally in the existing road until the broader issue of the extension is addressed,” she said.
“Council should endeavour to work with the market garden landowner to reach a beneficial outcome for everyone alongside the State and Federal Governments. As such funding arrangements for this road, as an arterial road would be a collaborative effort between all levels of government.
“Until then, council can continue to allocate more funding to ensure the existing road is maintained and safety concerns are addressed.”
Joby George said the nearby residents were concerned about the intersection of Glasscocks and William Thwaites Boulevard and his first priority was to have traffic signals installed there.
“I myself have witnessed more than a dozen accidents at this particular intersection and we need a traffic signal at this point of intersection,” he said.
He said it had been an ongoing negotiation between the landlord and Casey council to acquire the land to open up Glasscocks Road.
“As long as the council decides to buy the parcel of land and to open up with a disclosed sum, this matter will be resolved,” he said.
“I would renegotiate the deal to make this road opening happen so that it will ease the burden of local traffic.
“Also I will take care of the traffic consideration in light of the new public school coming into the neighbourhood.”
Raj Nayak observed many residents nearby were unhappy with the potholes around Glasscocks Road.
“Many people are not happy with the slow process of construction activities and its slowdowns in the traffic on Thompsons Road to nearby Cranbourne Avenue Shopping Centre,” he said.
“There are effective measures, opportunities for improvement and ideas to tackle the road issues.
“However, we can’t commit anything right now unless we do research, understand the obstacles, like political, dynamics, and financial, understand the exact structural requirement etc. These are inputs to think about further.
“Concern can be tackled easily but there is a need to see, and understand the previous feasibility studies, reports, records and observations.”
Shane Taylor said residents urged action on the dangerous intersection at Glasscocks Road.
“Concerns are growing among Cranbourne North residents about the intersection at William Thwaites Boulevard and Glasscocks Road, which many consider a serious safety hazard. With faded road markings, high-speed limits, and a confusing layout, the intersection has seen numerous near-misses and accidents,” he said.
“The council has outlined plans to address these concerns, including the installation of traffic signals at the intersection of Glasscocks Road and South Gippsland Highway, which aims to improve both traffic flow and safety.
“Additionally, a pedestrian refuge is being designed for the centre median, and traffic surveys are underway to assess further needs.”
