Cade Lucas
While the end of summer roadworks on the West Gate Freeway might ease traffic congestion on Blackshaws Road, residents living near the major inner-west thoroughfare fear the start of 2025 could just be a taste of what’s to come.
With freeway ramps at Millers Road, Grieve Parade and Williamstown Road closed due works on the West Gate Tunnel project, traffic has been diverted along Blackshaws Road, connecting Altona North to Newport, for the first three months of this year.
The result has been traffic conditions that were described at last month’s Hobsons Bay council meeting as “extremely dangerous”.
Councillors Kristen Bishop and Rayene Hawli, whose wards cover the area, told the meeting that residents were telling them they were too scared to walk or ride along Blackshaws Road due to the traffic.
Local resident Dominque Hes concurred.
“I’ve seen people rush up to the temporary crossing too and ignore the lollypop person,” said Ms Hes who lives on a street adjoining Blackshaws Road which she regularly crosses to get to the nearby Newport Lakes Reserve.
“It’s not very safe at the moment and there’s so many children I’ve seen on their bikes crossing that road, mothers with prams and people with dogs and the dogs sometimes don’t want to cross the road.”
A West Gate Tunnel Authority spokesperson said road safety was the number one priority and extensive planning was undertaken before the recent road closures which ended last weekend.
“We thank the community for their patience as we get on delivering the West Gate Tunnel which will create a vital alternative to the West Gate Bridge and remove 9000 trucks off local roads,” the spokesperson said.
Ms Hes said that with as many as 7000 more residents set to move into the area near Blackshaws Road as part of a housing development on the former Don Smallgoods site in Altona North, she feared this summer’s traffic could become the norm.
“It’s a foretelling of the future because there are so many more houses that are going to built.”
A Department of Transport and Planning spokesperson said long term solutions for Blackshaws Road were being explored.
“We’re working alongside Hobsons Bay City Council to investigate potential upgrades and treatments in the area on council managed roads,” the spokesperson said.
“We’ve recently introduced a lower speed limit on Blackshaws Road to make the road environment safer for everyone.”
