By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Hobbled with a broken leg, Chung Hak Gov is something of a ‘sitting duck’ when he crosses the road.
He is among a long-term chorus of pedestrians calling for a safe crossing point at a busy roundabout at Balmoral and Buckingham avenues in Springvale.
Mr Gov has been on crutches or moonboot since crashing his e-bike in October. He says he’s been nearly hit “many times” by “idiot drivers” as he attempts to cross during gaps in the traffic.
During peak times such as Fridays and Saturdays, the streams of vehicles are incessant.
Without traffic lights or a zebra crossing, drivers “won’t stop”, even for the sick, the elderly and families of young kids, Mr Gov says.
“They just shoot through.
“The council shouldn’t wait until there’s an accident or someone is killed. They would have to pay a lot of money in compensation.
“I believe that prevention will save the council money.”
Another pedestrian Sophie says drivers speed through without looking out for walkers.
“It’s a bit dangerous. People are on the go all the time, going fast, fast.
“There should be some (traffic) lights there.”
In 2016, about 70 residents petitioned Greater Dandenong Council to no avail for a zebra crossing.
Cr Richard Lim, whose pharmacy overlooks the roundabout, supports the petition and raised the matter again in 2021.
“The council say it will cost a lot of money (to install lights or a zebra crossing),” Cr Lim said.
“They say they never had any serious accidents there so why do they have to spend that money?”
Mr Gov thinks that injuries have been underreported by victims, due to widespread ignorance about the TAC accident claims process.
Engineering director Paul Kearsley said the roundabout was not eligible for most road funding sources due to the “low number of recorded accidents”.
“All the locations Council is currently addressing have been identified as having a higher road safety risk than the Balmoral Avenue location at this time.
“This site will be addressed once other higher priority sites are completed and suitable funding is available.
“Council’s preferred solution for this location is to reconstruct the roundabout to a signalised intersection to enhance the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.
“This will be subject to further community engagement at that time.
“The current cost of these proposed works are yet to be determined.”
Mr Kearsley said between $1 – 2 million was spent on improving safety on Greater Dandenong local roads, more than comparable municipalities.
