By CASEY NEILL
Motorists are colliding daily at Dandenong’s Scott and Thomas streets, nearby traders say.
But Greater Dandenong Council has no plans to return a roundabout to the troubled intersection.
Aman Najimi spoke to the Journal on Tuesday 31 May after a car ploughed into a shop front a short distance from the junction.
“Can you do something?” he pleaded with media at the scene.
“We’ve talked to the council about it but no one listens.
“I’ve called the police many times. But they’ve never done anything.
“My shop is exactly on that corner.
“Every single day I see an accident.”
The Afghan community leader said he was surprised when a roundabout that controlled the intersection was removed in 2009 and called for its return.
“Most of the customers here are new to Australia,” he said.
“They don’t know the laws – they don’t know the stop signs.
“It’s a very busy area, too.”
In July last year, the Journal reported that the council had installed additional stop signs and a traffic island at the trouble spot.
But a long-time campaigner for lights there, Lamis Albyati, said they hadn’t worked.
She first contacted the Journal in August 2014 after frequently witnessing crashes from her nearby office.
“People are confused, they don’t know what to do,” she said.
“Even if you are sure about yourself and that you’re doing the right thing, you’re not sure about the others, what they are thinking.”
Ms Albyati avoids the area and said colleagues felt the same way.
The council’s engineering services director Julie Reid said an independent Road Safety Auditor had assessed the intersection and found it to meet all relevant engineering requirements.
“The council’s recent discussions with the police about this intersection confirm they don’t believe there is anything wrong with it, rather the issue is some drivers are not always adhering to the road rules,” she said.
“For any intersection to operate safely and efficiently, motorists need to ensure they always drive in a safe manner and understand their requirements according to the road rules.”
Ms Reid said traffic signals didn’t always improve the situation and could often result in more crashes of higher severity.
“Additional streetscaping works will soon be implemented on Thomas Street, which may assist with increasing motorists’ awareness of the intersection as they approach,” she said.
