By Jed Lanyon
VicRoads are currently working on design options to improve the safety of the Warburton Highway in Seville East.
This comes after a push from a group of residents following several collisions earlier this year, one of which resulted in the death of a 54-year-old Woori Yallock man on 4 April.
A spokesperson from VicRoads’ Department of Transport said, “We’re working on a number of design options to improve safety on Warburton Highway, particularly around the Sunnyside Road intersection.
“These options are all focused on making this section of Warburton Highway safer for everybody.”
Another VicRoads spokesperson said that they expect an update regarding the Warburton Highway in Seville East in the coming months.
The 90 kilometre per hour stretch of road does not have designated turning lanes to many side roads and driveways leading to many high-speed rear-end collisions.
According to VicRoads, in the five year period between January 2014 and May 2019, there were nine recorded crashes on the Warburton Highway between Peters and Douthie roads, including the aforementioned fatality in April and two other incidents this year that resulted in serious injuries.
VicRoads prioritises pedestrian safety projects according to traffic volumes, pedestrian activity levels, nearby land uses, the historical safety record of the site and the effectiveness of proposed treatments in improving pedestrian safety.
Members of the Seville East Traffic Safety Group are advocating for the highway to be upgraded to have designated turning lanes at Douthie, Sunnyside and Stuart Roads, as well as an island protected turning lane at Peters Road, as previously reported by the Mail.
On 14 May, Yarra Ranges councillors voted unanimously to write to seek urgent action to have intersection treatments, consolidation of access to properties from Warburton Highway, and a speed limit reduction installed to the area.
Council considered that the safety of pedestrians and road users between Douthie Road and Peters Road to be a significant concern.
At the meeting, Seville East community member Joel Supple said, “Not only is it unsafe for our drivers, our children are crossing this section of road every day.”
Currently, pedestrian warning signs are in place on both approaches to the bus stops on this section of Warburton Highway.
