GEELONG’S WORST ROAD FOR CRASHES REVEALED:
La Trobe Tce is our most accident-prone
LA TROBE Tce has been revealed as Geelong’s worst road for crashes.
Crash data from VicRoads shows there have been 80 crashes on La Trobe Tce/Princes Highway, including 15 serious injury crashes, since 2013.
On average 52,000 vehicles travel on La Trobe Tce in Geelong each day.
Another high-risk road is Ryrie St, where there have been 51 crashes in the past five years, including one fatality and 10 serious injury crashes.
In mid-2017, the Ryrie St speed limit was lowered to 40km/h as part of a $5 million CBD-wide improvement package funded by the State Government in partnership with the City of Greater Geelong to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians in central Geelong.
The initiative — funded through the Towards Zero Action Plan — included a range of safety measures including installation of new pedestrian crossings, improvements to existing crossings, new line markings, and adjusted traffic signalling along Ryrie St.
Also featuring in Geelong’s top three worst roads for crashes was Aberdeen St/ Hamilton Highway with 37 crashes including eight serious injury crashes. Other serious accident locations included McKillop St (35), Fyans St (30), Shannon Ave (22), West Fyans St (13) and Queens Park Rd (4).
Regional Roads Victoria (RRV) chief regional roads officer Paul Northey said the organisation had undertaken measures to improve safety in the Geelong city centre, with a focus on improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians.
RRV said it also completed extensive road resurfacing works on about 12km of the Princes Highway between Corio and Waurn Ponds last year.
“Our No.1 priority is keeping people safe on our roads, that’s why we’re working hard to build a better road network for communities in Geelong and right across southwestern Victoria,” Mr Northey said.
“We have been working alongside our road safety partners to improve safety in central Geelong, with packages designed to encourage safer driving in areas where there are a lot of pedestrians and cyclists.”
Road rebuilding works are under way on Lower Duneed Rd, while extensive road rebuilding, repairs and sealing works are being carried out on the Bellarine Highway.
Extensive safety improvements have also been delivered on Anglesea Rd, including widening and sealing road shoulders, the installation of a wide centre-line to reduce the likelihood of head-on crashes, and the installation of safety barriers to prevent run-off road crashes.
“As part of our ongoing maintenance blitz, we’re also delivering significant road rebuilding works and safety improvements on key routes throughout Geelong, including Lower Duneed Rd, Anglesea Rd and the Bellarine Highway,” Mr Northey said.
“These works will help improve the strength and safety of these roads for the people who rely on them every day.”
Work has also started on the Shannon Ave improvement package.
This initiative includes upgrades to pedestrian-operated signals and new pedestrian crossings.