By Casey Neill
VicRoads has no plans to change a Noble Park North intersection to curb corner-cutting trucks.
Greater Dandenong councillor Zaynoun Melhem raised concerns about truck drivers mounting the footpath as they turned from Police Road in Browns Road in August last year.
Cr Melhem said this not only damaged the footpath but was “a disaster waiting to happen” for pedestrians and suggested bollards as one solution.
He raised the issue again at the Monday 12 February council meeting and asked for further advocacy.
Engineering services director Julie Reid said the council had already written to VicRoads about the issue but would write again.
But VicRoads movement and safety manager Sasha Yarwood told the Journal that the road authority had already looked into the situation.
“We’ve heard what the community has had to say about large vehicles turning from Police Road into Browns Road at Noble Park North and we’ve undertaken extensive investigations,” he said.
“Changes to the left turn lane cannot be achieved without land acquisition.
“VicRoads will install additional signs to improve safety for crossing Browns Road.”
VicRoads said changing the infrastructure to better accommodate trucks making a left turn would increase truck volumes through the local road network.
The VicRoads review found no crashes had occurred when performing the left turn from Police Road into Browns Road.
The Road Safety Rules 2009 provide exemptions to oversized vehicles making turns, meaning they can improve their left turn by not following the line marking at the intersection when safe to do so.
