By BRIDGET SCOTT
THE Lynbrook Residents Association has raised awareness on the need for warning signs before an intersection in Lynbrook.
Countless ‘near misses’ at the Lynbrook Boulevard and South Gippsland Highway intersection has raised alarm bells, and a concerned group of residents is lobbying for a set of warning lights 200 metres ahead of the traffic lights.
The warning signals will indicate when the traffic lights are about the change colour, and allow road users, particularly truck drivers to prepare themselves to stop.
President of the Lynbrook Residents Association Scott Watson said residents and road users feared the intersection and were disappointed when the State Government refused to fund these warning lights.
“We got a standard letter back that funding is unavailable,” he said.
However, the group made representations to Casey City Councillor Damien Rosario, who supported the move.
While the State Government was unavailable for comment, Councillor Rosario said he believed warning signals would greatly assist users of this intersection.
“I believe that warning lights metres before will greatly assist the intersection, giving forewarning to oncoming traffic of any signal change,” he said.
“Whilst VicRoads has implemented some minor safety measures at the intersection, ultimately stronger measures are needed to warn drivers with a view to avoid continual near misses, accidents and injury.”
Councillor Rosario said while the Lynbrook Residents Association was the first group to raise this issue with him, he has since read of accounts of near misses, accidents and two lives lost at this intersection.
A matter of urgent business was raised by the councillor at a meeting last week which has requested a meeting between VicRoads, the Lynbrook Residents Association, concerned residents, relevant councillors, Ms Inga Peulich MLC, Member for the South Eastern Metropolitan Region and council officers.
Cranbourne North resident Lisa Haynes is a regular user of this piece of road and said she herself had experienced a near-miss situation at the intersection.
Ms Haynes said the installation of warning signals will greatly assist people using the intersection, as it will warn drivers as to whether or not they should slow down.
According to the website, camerassavelives, there has been more than $900,000 worth of fines made at this particular intersection.
Ms Inga Peulich, Member for South Eastern Metropolitan region, has also thrown her support behind the move for flashing warning lights.
Mr Watson said his group would now aim to do their own fund-raising, and hoped to raise enough to subsidise one third of the costs associated with installing warning signals.
