Mr PALLAS (Tarneit)– I wish to draw the attention of the house to the tragic increase in  road  accidents  and fatalities in my electorate of Tarneit and the urgent need for investment in  infrastructure  to  keep  roads  in  the  city of Wyndham safe and performing satisfactorily. The former government allocated $100 million for Wyndham arterial roads over the last four years, and with a third of this  government’s  term having expired not one new dollar has been invested  in Wyndham’s roads. These  roads  are  facing  increasing  pressure from population growth. We have been one of the fastest  growing municipalities in Australia for some time, and something like 12 000 residents are expected to arrive this year. Unfortunately our road infrastructure is not keeping up with the demand and road safety is suffering because of it.

Last year the city of Wyndham recorded 72 intersection  collisions, and at least 12 people died on our roads. That is up from 4 in the previous year, an increase of some 300 per cent. In  the past week many of  my constituents have approached me with  concerns  about  the  traffic situation  in  Wyndham,  in  particular  the increasing  congestion,  and the  risks  this poses for  the  safety and general livability of our community.

Last week the  Wyndham Leader reported  concerns raised by Wyndham  City Council and the  police about the  state  government ignoring  Wyndham’s  most dangerous road, with almost  half the intersection collisions  occurring on Derrimut  Road alone. Wyndham City Council  infrastructure director Maurice Stabb was quoted as saying that this was  due to  the road being ‘highly trafficked … with limited gaps in traffic, which increases  the  risk of accidents and near misses’. There are also problems with lighting on the Ballan, Tarneit and Old Geelong roads.

See Tim’s speech in Hansard here.