EXCLUSIVE: By NICOLE VALICEK
A CONCERNED Altona Meadows resident said he fears for the safety of pedestrians that are being forced to use a “dangerous” crossing in the area.
The concerned resident, who did not want to be named, has lived in the Altona area for more than 50 years.
He said the new Point Cook and Central Avenue roundabout built three months ago was an accident waiting to happen.
According to the resident, pedestrians who want to go south at the intersection have to cross a major highway to get to the footpath.
He said despite there being a bus stop, no footpath existed on the eastern side of Point Cook Road, between Central Avenue and Skeleton Creek.
“They’re forcing people to cross another major road.”
It was only a matter of time before a pedestrian gets hit, he said.
“All they have for pedestrians and handicapped people, as they get off the bus is a dirt track that gets muddy when it rains, and is often blocked by cars on the nature strip.
“If you’re coming south from the shops or the Aircraft train station you come over the overpass, behind the fence. It forces you to cross the off ramp from the freeway, then across Central Ave outside McDonald’s where there’s a gap in the fence, and then west across Point Cook Rd to the only available footpath,” he said.
The resident said he had contacted VicRoads soon after the works were done and he invited someone to come down and meet with him so they could see the crossing.
“They came back and said there have been no pedestrian injuries so they’re happy with that.”
Acting Regional Director Metro North West Damien Afxentis said VicRoads recently completed safety improvement works at the intersection of Point Cook Rd, and Central Avenue, Altona North.
These included re-aligning approaches to the roundabout to slow down vehicles, redirecting the shared user path away from the roundabout, and installing street lighting and a traffic island.
“VicRoads encourages pedestrians to use the constructed shared user path, which runs north and south on Point Cook Road and east and west on Central Avenue,” Mr Afxentis said.
However, the resident said since the new crossing was constructed, there have been two motorbike accidents and a cyclist accident as a result of the fence, when car drivers failed to see other users.
“The closer you get to the line of the fence, you can’t see through it clearly,” he said.
“In the evening peak, at five or six at night it’s (the road) chock full.”
He said the residents want VicRoads to construct a footpath on eastern side of Point Cook Rd, where many motorists park their cars.
“(I’m) monitoring if any other further injuries occur as a result (of the crossing) and then I’ll be putting pen to paper again.”
Mr Afxentis said the improvements aim to address the issue of vehicles speeding through the roundabout while also putting pedestrians out of the way of potential harm.
“Since the completion of the project, there have been no recorded crashes at the intersection of Point Cook Rd and Central Avenue,” he said.
