By Casey Neill
Three crashes in six weeks at the same Dandenong intersection prompted residents to call for action.
Penny Collins told the Journal that everybody who lives near McCrae and Wedge streets “knows when there’s a bang, there’s something going on”.
The latest crash occurred about 7pm on Sunday 24 June.
“Both cars were smoking. The engines were smoking,” Ms Collins said.
“Three people were taken to hospital.
“We had two ambulances, police, the fire brigade had two machines there, a tow truck…
“The whole intersection had to be closed off.
“I know the guy next door to me…his daughter two weeks ago had two kids in the car and they had an accident on the corner there.
“The fortnight before that, a lady, she stuck her nose out too far in the car and a bus swiped her.”
Ms Collins said there was “too much going on” at the junction.
“When you’re approaching from my house down to the intersection it’s got a give way sign,” she said.
“That means you give way to everything.
“You can turn left, but you have to go out into the road to turn left because they’ve changed the road there.
“Out the front of the shop they’ve made an island.
“You don’t know where the cars are going to go, because they don’t know what to do.”
Ms Collins said she wanted the council to look at options to make the intersection safer, including a roundabout.
“Some people say lights, but lights cost a lot of money to put in,” she said.
“You’ve got to think money-wise.”
Greater Dandenong Councillors Angela Long, Matthew Kirwan and Jim Memeti all raised the matter at the Monday 25 June council meeting in response to phone calls from residents.
Cr Memeti said he wasn’t sure why the intersection was operating the way it was, and also raised the McCrae and Power streets junction as a concern.
“This area needs traffic management ASAP,” he said.
“Every time I use these intersections I’m very, very concerned.”
Acting engineering services director Craig Cinquegrana: “Yes, we will be investigating this intersection since it was raised as a concern by the community.”
In a letter to the council shown to the Journal, Garry and Kassi Mann said they’d witnessed multiple car accidents since moving to the intersection in January this year.
“When exiting and entering my driveway it can be quite dangerous as people seem to be speeding the majority of the time, especially when the school zone speed limits are in effect,” they wrote.
“I believe that something needs to be done to make the intersection safer; whether that be putting in traffic lights or having police patrol the area more often.”
