By XAVIER SMERDON
A FACEBOOK page boasting about the hoon culture in Wyndham has been set up just days after the ninth death on the municipality’s roads so far this year.
The page, entitled “Oh you’re from Werribee? ‘excuse me while I do a burnout’,” has almost 700 members who regularly share photos of themselves driving dangerously.
It comes as industry experts claim the key to solving the hoon crises in Wyndham is to re-educate drivers, not to fix every road.
The road toll has now reached nine, almost double the number of people killed in Wyndham for the whole of 2010.
At a community forum held last month to try and solve the hoon epidemic, fierce debate was caused when some people in attendance suggested that low quality roads could be why there are so many more fatal accidents in Wyndham than neighbouring municipalities.
Norm Robinson, who’s son was killed in a car crash, said road conditions could be just as important as driver mentality.
“Fix the roads, fix the drivers and then you’ll be closer to fixing the problem,” Mr Robinson said.
Captain of the Point Cook Ambulance Station, Brett Parker, said roads needed to be looked at as a contributing factor.
“The number of accidents that we’re going to and the problems we’re having with black spots around this municipality, we need to have a serious look to see what we are doing to address those problems,” Mr Parker said.
“The volumes of traffic that we’re are getting in this municipality that are increasing every month and every year and the main arterial roads around this municipality are carrying volumes of traffic than they’re not designed to do.”
But Chairperson of the Wyndham Transport Advisory Committee, Jim Giddings, told Star that people needed to adapt to the conditions of the roads.
“With that particular accident in Werribee South, speed was the main contributing factor, I’m led to believe,” Mr Giddings said.
“The onus is always on the driver to suit the conditions they are facing, and that includes the quality of the road.
Wyndham Mayor, Cr John Menegazzo, said the council was doing its bit to improve problem roads.
“If we could wave a magic wand and solve all of our road management problems we would, but reality is we can’t do that,” Cr Menegazzo said.
“Bill Weatherly (Wyndham’s police Inspector) spoke and I think he’s got some real problems with Werribee South and we acknowledge that.”
