Jennifer Pittorino
A proposal by Maribyrnong council for a reduced speed limit along Hopkins Street is a welcome first step according to the Joseph Road Precinct Action Group (JRPAG).
It seems the advocacy for improved safety undertaken by the JRPAG has made an impact with council, with a motion to reduce the current speed limit of 60 kilometres per hour on Hopkins Street, Footscray, discussed at the meeting on Tuesday, February 20.
Councillors noted the mayor had written to the Roads and Road Safety Minister Ben Carroll on January 23, advocating for the safety of road users and pedestrians.
The Minister’s response directed council to meet with the Department of Transport (DoTP) to identify opportunities to address safety concerns within the precinct.
Maribyrnong council Infrastructure Services director Patrick Jess confirmed with JRPAG that there is in principle agreement between DoTP and council on reducing the speed limit from 60 kilometres per hour to 40 kilometres per hour.
Described by one resident as a “dystopian atmosphere”, Joseph Road Precinct has been the site of a number of accidents over the years and more recently one fatality.
For four years resident Brett Thompson has witnessed numerous collisions and injuries. Now he is hopeful change will occur.
“We are reasonably happy with that. Some people come flying through here so given there has already been one fatality, I am awaiting some further actions given the speed people drive through,” he said.
“The speed limit dropping is great, this is the first step in what has been a really long drawn out couple of years to get some action.”
Moving the notice of motion, councillor Michael Clarke said the motion was brought to the chamber in response to the concerns made clear by the JRPAG.
“There are very clear concerns about the safety of trying to cross Hopkins Street,” he said.
“Quite simply, traffic in the precinct is far too fast. It is a major residential precinct now. The expectations of the community are very clear that there needs to be traffic calming occur.”
Cr Clarke made it clear if this doesn’t occur there will be more fatalities.
“We’ve seen one on Hopkins Street, we’ve seen two on Whitehall Street,“ he said.
“We can’t afford to have this happen.
“The only way we can reasonably expect change to occur is by reducing the speed.”
Councillor Simon Crawford said council needs to do everything it can to protect vulnerable road users including pedestrians and cyclists.
“I hope that we continue on this journey towards making roads safer, because at the moment they’re not still not safe enough,” he said.
Agreeing with Cr Crawford, Mr Thompson said the JRPAG is still advocating for “basic facilities”.
“We want council services to keep the area tidy, there are no waste management services to keep the area tidy and accessibility for people with accessibility issues,” he said.
Other safety measures outlined by JRPAG include street lighting, upgraded roads and pedestrian crossings.
“The council coming together was great but there’s only more infrastructure going up and no facilities.”
