Black spot pledge
LAND will not be acquired to improve safety at a notorious Ocean Grove intersection where a motorbike rider was seriously injured last month, the Roads Minister says.
But Luke Donnellan said VicRoads was investigating potential safety upgrades at the Presidents Ave and Orton St intersection including traffic lights, lower speed limits and speed humps along the road.
“We’re investigating a range of safety upgrades at the intersection of Orton St and Presidents Ave, but no land acquisition is required or would be appropriate at this area,” Mr Donnellan said.
“Our thoughts are with the young man injured and we hope he has a speedy and full recovery.”
Ocean Grove residents have called for an immediate fix to the intersection and by last night more than 1950 people had signed a petition “to fix, as a priority, the dangerous unsafe intersection”.
Three serious accidents have occurred at the intersection in the five years between 2012 and 2017, VicRoads data shows.
On April 23 Ocean Grove motorbike rider Tyler Peace, 18, was hit by a car at the intersection and was left with a broken pelvis, pubic bone, left wrist and right elbow.
Since the accident he has undergone multiple surgeries to insert pins and plates into his pelvis.
Mr Peace’s mother Clare said Ocean Grove residents avoided the intersection because of a crest in the road that blocked the view of drivers turning right out of Presidents Ave on to Orton St. “It is a blind spot. “If you are turning right you just cannot see and don’t have enough time to move into the intersection,” Ms Peace said.
Police say they are not investigating excessive speed as a cause of last month’s crash.
Western Victoria MP Simon Ramsay called on VicRoads to “pull their finger out” and fast track safety upgrades at the intersection.
“(The dangerous intersection) has been brought to the attention of the government and to VicRoads, but unfortunately no action has been taken,” he said.
City of Greater Geelong urban growth manager Tim Hellsten said Ocean Grove’s urban design framework identified the need for traffic signals at the Presidents Ave intersection.