Barriers program on course for collision

The construction program is on course for a head-on clash ahead of the state election later this year.

The (Labor) government is committed to flexible barriers on the grounds that they are proven to save lives while the Opposition (Liberal and Nationals) has said it will put out the stop sign if it wins the election.

Opposition leader Matthew Guy claimed the multi-million dollar program had been bungled and would be suspended and reviewed if the Coalition was elected to government.

And Member for Narracan Gary Blackwood said more than two months after the required date for responses to questions put on notice in parliament Roads and Road Safety Minister Luke Donnellan had not yet answered his inquiries.

Mr Donnellan, however, was prepared to state the case for the barriers to The Gazette last week describing the Liberal Party position as a “new low”. The barriers save lives; simple as that, he said. According to Mr Donnellan the barriers had already prevented 1800 potentially deadly crashes.

He said that was the number of times vehicles have crashed into the barriers rather than run off roads or into oncoming traffic.

Mr Donnellan said VicRoads had held almost 150 resident, community and stakeholder meetings to inform them of the works and had also had numerous meetings with emergency services over the design and rollout of the installation program.

He challenged Mr Blackwood to meet with those whose lives may have been saved by the barriers and to emergency services such as the SES that all too regularly have to deal with the trauma of head-on crashes.

Mr Blackwood said the questions he put to Mr Donnellan last November followed approaches from many West Gippsland road users querying why the expensive barriers were needed along virtually every metre of the Princes Highway.

He said he was concerned the barriers were making some roads more dangerous rather than safer because they’ve been installed in the wrong places.

There are also concerns they could impede emergency services, compromise the safety of motor cyclists and their closeness to the side of the road inhibit drivers from safely pulling over if they have a flat tyre or breakdown.

In his November questions Mr Blackwood asked about the data used to decide the areas along the highway where wire rope or steel barriers were installed and why they weren’t only installed in potentially high risk areas.

The government needs to demonstrate the barriers are the best use of funding when regional community and councils are crying out for additional road funding, he argued.