Traffic congestion in Sunbury has sparked a call for a “sky road” by Liberal MP Bernie Finn.
The Bulla-based western metropolitan MP wants a third rail crossing in the township. Currently there are rail crossings at Station Street and the overpass at Macedon Street.
In Parliament a fortnight ago, Mr Finn floated the idea of building a third crossing, or “sky road” as he described it, over the railway line near Horne Street, Sunbury.
Mr Finn’s call comes weeks after a driver fled his car when it crashed into a boom gate at the Station Street rail crossing, causing a two-hour gridlock during peak hour.
“It’s an issue that is long-running in the township,” he said.
“As things stand, there are two ways of getting from one side of the railway line to the other in Sunbury, and from time to time one or both of those avenues are blocked, which, of course, causes no end of havoc in the township.”
Sunbury Residents Association president Bernie O’Farrell said the most recent incident highlighted the need for the third rail crossing.
“With two crossings and Sunbury rapidly growing, there only has to be one accident at the bridge [Macedon Street] or at Station Street and Sunbury is in gridlock,” Mr O’Farrell said.
He said the lack of a third crossing was also a concern in emergency situations.
Mr Finn called on Transport Minister Jacinta Allan to consider a sky road in Sunbury as an alternative to building another level crossing which he said would end up exacerbating existing traffic problems.
“It is time we stopped talking about it and actually did something. It’s way past time that we did something because the people of Sunbury deserve that third crossing of the railway line,” Mr Finn said.
The minister’s office was contacted, but did not respond to
Star Weekly’s inquiries by deadline.
The state government has already started removing 37 dangerous and congested railway level crossings around the state.
“This is one of the biggest building programs in Australian history, being delivered well ahead of schedule and creating thousands of jobs across Victoria,” Ms Allan said.
