Win cushioned!

By Shaun Inguanzo
ONCE vigilantes, but now the victors.
Residents of a Dandenong South street plagued by hoons have won a six-year battle to have speed humps installed in their street.
Trewin Street, in Dandenong South, made news headlines across the nation in May 2006 when residents frustrated by hooning cars and a lack of council intervention bought and then installed their own speed humps on the road.
The City of Greater Dandenong at the time denounced the actions, with the then-mayor Peter Brown saying residents should not take the law into their own hands.
But almost two years later, at Monday night’s council meeting, councillors agreed to speed ‘cushions’ – wider, flatter variations of speed humps – for Trewin Street.
Councillors unanimously resolved this week to keep the speed cushions that had been part of a trial for the past six months after an officer’s report concluded that the method of traffic control had indeed worked.
Elated Trewin Street resident and mother of four young children, Nurdan Dubak, this week told Star that residents had installed their own speed humps in May 2006 because approaches to Greater Dandenong council had failed since 2002.
Ms Dubak said the road led to George Andrews Reserve which hosted a soccer stadium.
Before or after matches, hoons would tear down the road, often tooting their horns at young children crossing the road instead of slowing down, she said.
But Ms Dubak said it was now the hoons – and not the residents – who were unhappy in Trewin Street, since the council had installed the speed cushions.
“You’ll get the one or two people occasionally that are unhappy the speed humps are there because the types of cars they are driving are very low,” Ms Dubak said.
“So we’ve had one or two tyre marks left on the speed humps but that’s just one or two youngsters.”
On the whole, Ms Dubak said, hooning was a thing of the past in Trewin Street.
“I think (the speed cushions) are really great. I feel more safe as a parent because I’m able to let the kids run out freely and play with others who live along the road now. Everyone realises that Trewin Street has got speed cushions on it so they take normal precautions and don’t speed, which is safer.”
Dandenong Ward councillor Jim Memeti this week said both the council and residents were happy with the result.
“About a year or two ago we had a problem in Trewin Street regarding managing anti-social behaviour, where residents did put their own speed humps in the street,” he said at Monday night’s council meeting. “But (the council and residents) had a meeting and then the council resolved to put speed cushions in.
“It has worked well so it’s a win-win for council and residents.”
The speed cushions were installed six months ago at the cost of $16,000.