Jennifer Pittorino
In an effort to have the speed limit on Hopkins Street Footscray reduced to 40km/h, community member Samantha Meredith has created a new petition.
On May 22 nearby Whitehall Street became a 40km/h zone, sparking Ms Meredith to start the petition on behalf of the Joseph Road Precinct Action Group (JRPAG).
The petition urges Roads and Road Safety Minister Melissa Horne to immediately implement the speed limit reduction to enhance the safety for all road users, particularly pedestrians and cyclists.
“The petition is aimed at communicating the community’s needs that we are seeking the reduction and we would like to see that happen sooner rather than later,” she said.
In recent years the Joseph Road Precinct has expanded becoming a high residential area, however Ms Meredith believes the infrastructure has not evolved with the population growth.
“We started the petition for numerous reasons, one of which is the safety aspect,” she said.
“The current design of Hopkins Street is based on a past industrial era so it has not changed much since 2009. The pathways are still slim, they are not appropriate for the population we have, the infrastructure is lacking. There are apartments on both sides of the street, it is not reflective of what is needed now.”
In November 2023, precinct resident Frances Jeyann Ramirez was hit and killed by two cars while crossing Hopkins Street.
Since then, Ms Meredith said residents have reported other near-miss incidents.
“It is an increasingly dangerous space and the more the population grows the worse it will get,” she said.
Maribyrnong council has show support for reducing the speed limit on Hopkins Street to 40km/h and Ms Meredith now wants the state government to do the same.
“We aren’t getting any clear indication of when we might be getting a reduction or what that looks like,” she said.
“This is an urgent thing we would like to see happen.”
The state government was contacted for comment.
