MARIBYRNONG Council is calling on VicRoads to help fix the municipality’s most dangerous intersection for cyclists.
Council has written to raise safety issues on Footscray’s Parker and Whitehall streets, the site of five serious crashes in the past five years.
“Despite much discussion with VicRoads on appropriate safety treatment options over the past three years no funding has been provided,” the letter stated.
The intersection is part of the main route for western suburbs cyclists travelling into the city.
Bike counts show about 300 cyclists use the intersection every morning peak period, an average of one cyclist every 24 seconds.
More than 4200 trucks use Whitehall Street each weekday.
The council argues better safety would encourage more cyclists and cut down on road congestion.
VicRoads, which has responsibility for Whitehall Street, has previously submitted a funding proposal for bicycle/pedestrian-operated signals and line marking.
Regional director Patricia Liew said VicRoads had investigated cyclist demand and safety at the intersection, considering the number of cyclists, traffic volumes, traffic and cycle interactions and a crash analysis.
“As a result, VicRoads is finalising designs for a project to address demand and safety at this intersection for consideration for funding in a future program, including the 2013-14 program.”
VicRoads’ cycling and pedestrian budget for the north west metropolitan region, which includes Maribyrnong, was $150,000 in 2012-13.
$5.3 million has been allocated for the continuation of the Federation Trail to Fogarty Avenue in Yarraville, including construction of a bridge over the Tottenham rail line and industrial land west of the rail reserve.
Western suburbs Greens MP Colleen Hartland said she had been calling on the government for more than a year to fix the Parker and Whitehall streets intersection.
“A major bike route and the trucking route intersecting with no traffic signals – it’s the most dangerous intersection in the western suburbs, which shows up in the crash statistics with many cyclists being hit,” Ms Hartland said.
