Safety First
What we are asking
At least $50 million to have a real impact on the significant road trauma taking place on the Mornington Peninsula’s roads. This includes:
- Upgrading four high-risk intersections – $25 million
- Pedestrian safety upgrades – $18 million
- Improvements to on-road cycling to reduce casualties – $7 million
This will improve key arterial intersections, as well as pedestrian and cyclist safety, and are current projects under development by the Department of Transport.
Further priorities include:
- $40 million to make five more high-risk intersections safe
- $25 million to improve safety along Western Port Highway
NOTE: in some cases, part of these funds would be initially required for project development.
What makes this unique
The Mornington Peninsula has unacceptably high levels of road trauma.
Unsurprisingly, improving safety for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists in both urban and rural areas was one of the highest priorities identified in our community consultation on transport issues.
In the past decade alone 73 people have been killed and over 1,300 seriously injured on our roads, including significant numbers of pedestrians and cyclists.
We’ve experienced the equal highest number of road deaths among Victoria’s 79 municipalities for the period 2014 to 2021.
The devastating impacts of road trauma on our community are not just felt when someone is lost.
Serious injuries are the ‘hidden’ road toll, with ongoing pain, suffering and impairment upending the lives of those impacted, as well as the lives of their families.
Victorian and local government funding opportunities are often restricted by specific program conditions. For far too long we have lacked funding to address the many sites where road trauma is prevalent.
High-risk intersections
Over the past 10 years, 56 people have been injured and one person killed at these four intersections. We need $25 million for roundabouts and traffic signals at:
- Nepean Hwy/Ponderosa Pl – 17 injured, one fatality – signals proposed (Nepean electorate)
- Balnarring Rd/Myers Rd – 12 injured – roundabout proposed (Hastings and Nepean electorates)
- Moorooduc Hwy/Craigie Rd – 19 injured – roundabout proposed (Mornington electorate)
- Frankston Flinders Rd/Eramosa Rd – eight injured – pedestrian safety improvements proposed (Hastings electorate)
Pedestrian safety
We need $18 million to fix these areas of high pedestrian risk and greatest community concern (Nepean electorate).
Along Point Nepean Rd at:
- Elizabeth Ave, Capel Sound
- Stringer Rd, Blairgowrie
- Bowen Rd, Sorrento
- Elgan Ave, Rye
- Marshall St, Rye
- Calcutta St-Tuckey Track, Sorrento
Along Marine Drive at:
Cyclist safety
Over the past 10 years,19 cyclists have been injured at just six high-risk locations.
We need $7 million to plan and improve on-road cycling, including plugging crucial gaps in the cycling network, at these locations:
- Point Nepean Rd at Truemans Rd, Tootgarook – three cyclists injured (Nepean electorate)
- Marine Dve at Bruce Rd, Safety Beach – three cyclists injured (Nepean electorate)
- Point Nepean Rd at Elizabeth Ave, Capel Sound – five cyclists injured (Nepean electorate) Eramosa Rd at the railway crossing for Peninsula trail, Somerville – two cyclists injured (Hastings electorate)
- Esplanade (Bruce Rd to Dominion Rd), Mount Martha – six cyclists injured (Mornington electorate)
- Eramosa Rd / Frankston Flinders Rd intersection upgrade, Somerville (Hastings electorate)
Further priorities – dangerous intersections
Over the past 10 years, a further 56 people have been injured and two people killed at the following five high-risk intersections. We need $40 million to make these intersections safe:
- Mornington-Flinders Road/Shands Rd – 14 injured, one fatality – roundabout needed (Nepean electorate)
- Bittern-Dromana Rd/ Balnarring Rd – four injured – roundabout needed (Nepean and Hastings electorates)
- Westernport Hwy/ Tyabb-Tooradin Rd – 23 injured, one fatality – signals or roundabout needed (Hastings electorate)
- Frankston-Flinders Rd/ Point Leo Rd – 14 injured – roundabout needed (Nepean electorate)
- Five-ways intersection (Frankston-Flinders Rd/Balnarring Rd/Balnarring Beach Rd/Stumpy Gully Rd) – one injured – roundabout needed (Nepean and Hastings electorates)
Further priorities – Western Port Highway
Western Port Highway is an untreated corridor with the highest crash history and risk in the Shire. There have been 62 people injured and three fatalities over the past 10 years.
Comprehensive roadside barriers and a centre dividing barrier are urgently needed to make it safe for its 100 km/h speed limit. Further investigation is required – to scope and provide cost estimate for treatment, indicative funding of $25 million is needed. (Hastings electorate).
The benefits – supporting evidence and strategies
All these projects have strong community support, due to the consistently high incidence of road trauma on our roads.
We recently adopted our Towards Zero 2020-2025 Road Safety Strategy.
These treatments are in line with Safe System principles, which have been adopted by the Victorian Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030.
What we are asking aligns with both National and State Road Safety Strategies.