Focus on Bunyip
Works have begun to install a safety barrier on Main Drain Rd, Bunyip in measures to improve road safety at the notorious black spot.
Surveyors were conducting marking on site as member for McMillan Russell Broadbent announced $869,400 under the Black Spot program to install a new guard rail from Evans Rd to Little Rd.
Victorian roads will share in $14.7 million under the latest round of the program.
In Baw Baw Shire, Main South Rd near Cobbledick Rd and Labertouche North Rd will also receive upgrades.
The $185,000 project at Main South Rd will involve sealing road shoulders, install skid resistance overlay and line marking.
Labertouche North Rd will see installation of guard rail, rub rail, guide posts and chevron alignment markers, valued at $138,500.
Mr Broadbent said funding for Main Drain Rd had been prioritised following several run off road crashes along the road, with some resulting in fatalities.
“Across all blackspots identified, a total of 241 casualty crashes were recorded at these sites over the past five years, including 11 accidents involving fatalities,” he said.
“The panel that reviews priorities for the program includes representatives from the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), the Victorian Transport Association, Victoria Police, the Municipal Association of Victoria and VicRoads.”
The Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) has found that, on average, Black Spot projects reduce the number of crashes causing death and injury by 30 per cent.
RACV mobility advocacy manager Dave Jones said local communities should get involved in the Black Spot Program.
“We encourage local communities to consider nominating sites with significant safety issues for future funding,” he said.
“Many of these sites are in regional and rural areas, where further work needs to be done to improve the safety of roads.
“As our population grows, it’s essential that spending on safety measures and road maintenance keeps pace with higher traffic volumes.”
For more information on the Black Spot Program, or to nominate a black spot, visit the website http://investment.infrastructure.gov.au/funding/blackspots/.