Police are working with Mobil to combat numerous near misses at a pedestrian crossing outside the Altona refinery on Millers Road.
Sergeant Jason Van Doren said drivers were constantly running the red light when pedestrians – mainly Mobil workers – have right of way.
“There have been quite a few near misses, to the point that even though they’re quite entitled to cross on the green ‘walk’ man, management has even put signs up for the workers to remind them don’t cross until you’re sure cars have stopped,” he said.
Police will be conducting plain clothes operations at the lights, with a “spotter” to alert officers secreted over a rise in the road.
“I’ll actually get a video camera and tape some of the actions of the drivers,” Sergeant Van Doren said. “And they’re not just drivers – I’ve seen lights red for 30 seconds and bike riders just decide they’re going to blast straight through.”
Refinery manager Andrew Williamson said the crossing, traffic lights and warning signals were funded by Mobil in 2005 to enable workers to safely cross the road from one of its car parks.
“Mobil is concerned that since the signals were installed, we have continually encountered drivers failing to stop at the crossing’s red light, endangering the lives of our employees and the public,” he said.
“To improve the safety of the crossing, we have worked with VicRoads to improve the visibility of the traffic signals and have requested installation of a road-safety camera at the crossing.”
He said Mobil also reports incidents of drivers running the red light to Crime Stoppers.
