A COLAC prime mover driver who contested the Federal seat of Wannon at the last election has called out the Victorian Government for its tardiness on fixing sensors on the Glenelg Highway at an intersection near Dunkeld.
Graham Garner, who travels on the road everyday carting grain to Portland, said the 70km per hour side road-activated warning lights on the highway that intersects with the Dunkeld-Cavendish Road, C188, and the Penshurst-Dunkeld Road, C178, are constantly flashing – even when there is no traffic emerging from the side roads.
The flashing signs are supposed to alert traffic that there are vehicles emerging from the side roads, but after contacting VicRoads to advise that they are not working, Mr Garner was told they were not in a position to fix the sensors.
Mr Garner said for the amount of registration he has to pay for his prime mover – at around $14,000 per year – the warning lights should be funded to be fixed.
“I called VicRoads who confirmed the lights are their responsibility,” he said
He said he has spoken to drivers who now know that the sensors are broken, so they don’t slow down.
“This is now a safety hazard,” he said.
“Regular drivers are not slowing down, so you don’t know whether there is actually traffic emerging from those side roads or not.
“We’d like to know if there is a car coming or not, because some of them don’t stop.
“The signs have been constantly flashing for months.”
He said VicRoads advised him they don’t have the resources to fix the sensors.
“VicRoads said the traffic road faults are their issues,” Mr Garner said.
“For these particular signs – the job was identified – but their notes said the contractor was awaiting payment to get them fixed to do the job.
“The road has to be dug up to replace the sensors and there was the question over when that would happen.
“You don’t know if there is a car coming or not because they’re flashing 24/7.
“They said if the signs are flashing, well you just have to slow down regardless and obey the limit.
“But that’s a cop out excuse – the roads are our workplace – there has to be some due diligence that the department takes responsibility.
“Not everyone stops – that’s why the signs are there.”
Long time local roads advocate, Cavendish’s Jason Bendeich has also pegged the intersection as one of the many he said were in need of maintenance and repair, including the sensors.
He wrote to Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Melissa Horne in August last year and received a reply in September, stating the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) was aware of the issue of the side road-activated warning lights in constant flash mode on the Glenelg Highway near Dunkeld.
Minister Horne said “unfortunately, the wires under the road surface have become damaged and it has been determined that the signs on site should remain flashing to highlight a high-risk intersection to non-local road users. These arrangements will remain in place until the wires can be repaired”.
Department of Transport and Planning, Barwon South West and Grampians, executive director, Michael Bailey, told The Spectator that the department was “aware of an issue affecting the electronic signage at the intersection of the Glenelg Highway with Dunkeld-Cavendish Road and Penshurst-Dunkeld Road”.
“We’re currently planning for repairs at the site and will keep the community informed as we progress,” he said.
Mr Bailey said members of the public are able to contact Regional Roads Victoria to report issues with traffic infrastructure.
