By CASEY NEILL
A KEYSBOROUGH junction is terrifying residents and putting lives at risk, a resident says.
Ismail Demiri lives on Cheltenham Road and said the community was “constantly living in fear” because of the Cheltenham-Chandler-Kirkham roads intersection.
“Parents are concerned about the safety of their children,” he said.
“The residents are worried about the big semi-trailers and small trucks, screeching of tyres and sounds of crashes which would make them shudder on multiple occasions.
“It is chaos.”
Mr Demiri said residents also found it difficult to turn left or right into the service road with big trucks blocking the road.
“For 200 to 500 metres, cars and trucks that are turning left into Cheltenham Road currently have the issue of a gravel road that contains big holes which need to be filled, as cars are struggling to drive by,” he said.
“I think it is definitely dangerous.”
Mr Demiri also called for an extra lane on the left side turning into Cheltenham Road and new asphalt, “which would assist in better regulation of the traffic and enhance road safety for school children and all community residents”.
City of Greater Dandenong engineering services director Julie Reed said VicRoads managed the intersection.
“VicRoads have previously advised they do not support the suggestion of adding a left turn at this location, as it would likely result in encouraging more motorists to make this turn,” she said.
“It is preferable for motorists to use alternative, higher-standard routes from the Dandenong Bypass to access Cheltenham Road, for example Perry Road.”
Ms Reid said the council’s engineers were investigating options to treat the unsealed road shoulder to prevent vehicles from travelling along it.
“The current use of the shoulder results in the formation of potholes and the need for regular maintenance,” she said.
Acting VicRoads metro south east transport and planning director Savoula Lidis said the authority had spoken with Mr Demiri about his safety concerns.
“There is an opportunity to make the junction safer for pedestrians and we will install an additional sign warning road users of pedestrians on the southern approach from Chandler Road,” she said.
“In terms of an additional left-turn lane from Chandler Road into Cheltenham Road, this needs to be prioritised and evaluated for future funding alongside other intersection improvements across south-east Melbourne.”
