Swan Hill Rural City Council has launched a community survey to gauge public opinions of two of the local government area’s most hazardous intersections.
At its December Council meeting, Councillors concerned for resident safety and frustrated with what they say is a lack of commitment by the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP), supported a Notice of Motion presented by Cr Chris Jeffrey that furthers advocacy for change at the two sites.
The Council has launched the survey on its Let’s Talk platform, asking residents to share their personal experiences with the intersections.
Council says the two locations – Murlong/McCallum Street and Gray/Campbell Street – have been heavily advocated for in the past and have been of grave community concern for many years, following a spate of collisions and near misses.
Councillor Jeffery said there was a lack of accurate data around near misses in particular.
“Unfortunately, the Department of Transport and Planning are only looking at data where emergency services have been called in – because that is all that is available,” Cr Jeffery said.
“This doesn’t take into account the number of near misses, or incidents resolved without the need for emergency services.
“We don’t want to have to wait for more serious collisions, or worse still, deaths, to occur before these intersections are improved.”
Mayor, Stuart King said he wholeheartedly supported the notice of motion and urged the community to get on board to create change.
“The more feedback we can get, the bigger case for change we can build,” he said.
“These are not intersections that Council can fix on our own, as they are State owned arterial roads.
“It is imperative that we partner with the State government to create outcomes that improve the safety of our community.”
The survey can be found at https://letstalk.swanhill.vic.gov.au/swan-hill-intersections.
