Road repairs blow for GP traffic

By Alison Noonan
ROADWORKS could create a traffic nightmare for riders travelling to this weekend’s Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island.
Motorcycle Riders’ Association President Dale Maggs has blasted the condition of the Bass Coast Highway between Lang Lang and Bass, where a 4.5 kilometre section of the dual carriageway has been reduced to one lane as part of an ongoing State Government project to widen the highway.
He claimed the roadworks would make it unsafe for the 40,000 motorcyclists riding from Cranbourne to the island for Sunday’s race.
“This is a real serious problem that will put Victoria’s premier motorcycle event at risk,” Mr Maggs said.
“A dual lane highway has been reduced to one lane on a shoddily signed road. This is a major stuffup.”
Mr Maggs said he was concerned about the safety of concrete barriers used in two sections to merge traffic after a bend.
“The first barrier forces motorists from the righthand side of the road to the left and then as you come around the bend they force you into the other side of the lane, right on the apex of the bend.
“There are also steel support posts that create an object you can be impaled upon, especially if you’re a motorcyclist,” he said.
Mr Maggs described a threemetre wide hole exposing a concrete pipe on the side of the road near the start of the roadworks as a death trap for riders.
He said the hole was currently cordoned off with poles and orange mesh.
“If you got tangled in that stuff you’d be pulled straight into the hole and crash down on this concrete pipe,” he said.
“Not to mention the traffic nightmare one lane will create. Even getting back from the island with two lanes is hard enough.
“They really could have timed these roadworks more appropriately,” he said.
VicRoads Eastern Region Manager David Shelton said VicRoads had been working with the Grand Prix Corporation and Victoria Police to ensure appropriate safety measures were in place on the highway for traffic travelling to the island.
“The Grand Prix weekend sees one of the highest traffic volumes on this stretch of road,” Mr Shelton said.
“Speed restrictions of 80km/h will remain in place at the worksite during the event. The restrictions cover approximately 5km of the highway.
“Motorists will be advised of works on the approach to the construction site by large variable message signs,” he said.