Elsie Lange
Sunbury residents are scared about the state of Sunbury Road, following a spate of recent incidents which have prompted outcry on social media.
Tracy McMorrow said when she went through the roundabout at the intersection of Loemans and Sunbury roads about 6.45am Tuesday, July 5, she nearly had an accident.
“I wasn’t speeding, because the road is absolutely terrible,” Ms McMorrow said.
“You cannot see the white lines, so as I went through the roundabout my car went sideways, basically.
“I was just so lucky I didn’t hit another car next to me.”
Later that morning, a minor collision occurred, and police, the Country Fire Authority and Fire Rescue Victoria attended.
In an accident on Saturday, July 2, two trucks collided on Sunbury Road. There were no injuries, however an ambulance attended the scene and the vehicles had to be towed.
A post to one of Sunbury’s Facebook groups about 5am warned residents to “be extra careful” at the same roundabout, as their car had “slid around it”.
The post garnered more than 130 comments, many saying they’d had the same experience, and others urging residents to contact the Department of Transport or their local member, Sunbury MP Josh Bull.
Following questions from Star Weekly raising residents’ concerns, a state government spokesperson said an “enormous amount” of work was under way in Sunbury .
This includes the Gap Road Level Crossing Removal, the Sunbury Road Upgrade and the truck movements associated with carrying waste from the West Gate Tunnel Project (WGTP) to the Hi-Quality spoil processing facility in Bulla.
“While these projects will deliver significant benefits, they do mean that there is more traffic on Sunbury Road during construction,” the spokesperson said.
“That’s why we’ve increased inspections and road cleaning, installed rumble strips at project exit points to remove mud and dirt, laid crushed rock to absorb debris and laid new line marking and barrier reflectors to help guide drivers,” the spokesperson said.
“We’ve also required the new facility at Hi-Quality to install a wheel wash, use GPS tracking on vehicles and to ensure drivers are appropriately trained.”
In June, Star Weekly reported a young driver spinning out of control on Sunbury road due to the muddy and wet conditions.
Sunbury resident Chris O’Neill said the accident on July 5 “was just one of many to come unless we start seeing meaningful action from all parties to reduce the amount of mud and surface degradation in that roundabout”.
In a Facebook post, Mr Bull said he’d been reached out to by the community about the road and had since been in touch with Major Road Projects Victoria and the Transport Infrastructure Minister and Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan.
“I have again emphasised the need to maintain safety, line markings, cleaning and road condition both immediately and as we progressively upgrade this road.”
However, Ms McMorrow said she doesn’t feel “listened to”, and is considering adding 30 minutes to her daily commute because the road gave her “such a fright”.
“Someone is going to get killed there very soon, and I’m surprised no one was this morning,” she said.
“That’s the worst I’ve seen it.”
