By BRIDGET COOK
IN THE past 10 years, Cranbourne North resident Fran Ryan has attended three fatalities and numerous serious crashes at the intersection close to her home.
The loud bang as cars collide at the South Gippsland Highway and Waverley Park Drive intersection is all too familiar for the former nurse, who runs out to each crash to help where she can.
That is why she is leading a push to have ‘keep clear’ markings established on the South Gippsland Highway, at the intersection, to try and put a stop to drivers being put in danger each time they negotiate the intersection during peak times.
Ms Ryan said during the peak hours, it was almost impossible to make a right turn into Waverley Park Drive, or make a right turn out of it, onto South Gippsland Highway.
“The traffic is banked up and at a standstill and no-one lets you cross,” she said.
“Because it is two lanes, plus a turning lane, you effectively have to negotiate three lanes and hope all drivers will let you safely across.
“One car might stop and wave you through, and then another car in the next lane won’t.
“It’s a nightmare. People are taking chances and it’s ending in too many crashes.”
Ms Ryan said she had put her house on the market because she had had enough of the traffic problems, but hoped the problem would be fixed for other residents.
She said she was not the first in the neighbourhood to sell up because of the problem intersection.
“I’ve attended more than a handful of crashes there in the past 10 years, with three of those being fatal,” she said.
“One young boy was only 19 years old. I couldn’t save him.
“I can hear the bang every time there’s a crash.
“It is instinct to run down and see what you can do to help.
“I’ve had enough.”
Ms Ryan said it was horrible when her children first got their licences and she would dread each time they went out because she knew they would have to cross the intersection.
At Tuesday night’s City of Casey council meeting, councillors resolved to make representations to VicRoads to establish keep clear markings on both sides of the South Gippsland Hwy, opposite Waverley Park Drive.
Mayfield Ward councillor Amanda Stapledon raised the motion and said something needed to be done to improve the intersection.
“Residents have been raising the issues with access to and from Waverley Park Drive via the South Gippsland Highway for many years,” she said.
“The day to day frustration of trying to exist and enter this road has been a source of frustration and concern for residents.
“I am raising this matter so council and VicRoads can determine the best solution for this including the suggestions of a keep clear zone which seems like a practical and reasonable approach to minimising the issue.”
VicRoads metropolitan south east director Adam Maguire said keep clear markings were primarily used to minimise delays to through traffic on arterial roads caused by vehicles queuing to turn right.
“Where right-turning vehicles are able to wait safely in a dedicated turning lane and do not obstruct traffic flow, keep clear markings are not considered necessary,” he said.
“Accordingly, VicRoads does not propose to install keep clear markings at this intersection, and will continue to monitor the safety and operation of the intersection.
“In the five years to December 2013, there were three minor injury crashes at the site.”
