By ALESHA CAPONE
MORE than 1100 people have signed a petition calling for an overpass or underpass to be built at the Melton Highway level crossing.
Keilor MP Natalie Hutchins has submitted the petition of 1139 signatures to State Parliament.
She said the crossing’s boom gates are down for 52 minutes every two hours during peak times.
The RACV’s roads and traffic manager, Dave Jones, has labelled the crossing as the “number one location” in Sydenham and Taylors Lakes for congestion.
A Facebook group titled ‘Melton Highway NEEDS an Underpass/Overpass’ has gathered more than 2500 supporters.
Ms Hutchins spoke to Star last week after she visited residents of Victoria St, which runs adjacent to the Watergardens railway line.
“These residents are telling me they can’t get out of their own street in the mornings onto the Melton Highway due to the sheer volume of traffic backed up,” she said.
“They said it’s been noticeably different in the 12 months since the line was electrified (to Sunbury).
“What I’m surprised by is the reaction and overwhelming public anger at the traffic and the problems created by it.”
She said the petition would be ongoing and a committee of residents hopes to meet in mid-March to get a campaign underway.
Ms Hutchins said she hopes the campaign will lead to Labor putting the crossing on a list of 50 they have promised to fix, if the party wins November’s election.
Dorian Papadopoulos, who started the ‘Melton Highway NEEDS an Underpass/Overpass’ Facebook, said he has been amazed by the tremendous response from the petitions.
“It just goes to show that our entire community agree that this is an unacceptably dangerous and frustrating level crossing that needs urgent attention and action,” he said.
To sign the petition or join the committee see https://www.facebook.com/meltonhighwaytrafficproblems or head into Ms Hutchin’s office at Aquagardens Shopping Centre, Sydenham.
A spokesperson for Roads Minister Terry Mulder said the government has outlined more than $400 million towards removing level crossings across Melbourne.
On the topic of the Sydenham crossing she said: “The Victorian Government has committed to remove the nearby level crossing at St Albans.”
A VicRoads spokesperson said to assist traffic flow at the Melton Highway level crossing, they recently improved the operation of surrounding traffic lights.
