Sunbury’s Gap Road level crossing will be removed if the state opposition is elected in November.
Speaking to Star Weekly in Sunbury on Friday, Opposition Leader Matthew Guy also confirmed that establishing Sunbury as a stand-alone municipality was the party’s top priority for the area.
Mr Guy revealed the state opposition plans to eliminate the Gap Road level crossing, as well as removing the intersection of Gap Road and Horne Street, through grade-separation, with one road running over the other.
He said plans to remove the notorious intersection would go ahead even though the Andrews government intends to replace the current roundabout with traffic lights this year.
“We need to eliminate that level crossing and eliminate the road intersection as well,”
Mr Guy said.
He said traffic lights would be a short-term fix, while grade separation would be a long-term solution that would provide greater safety and allow uninterrupted traffic flow.
Mr Guy also said the Liberals were set on establishing a City of Sunbury, suggesting starting dates as early as July, 2019.
“Sunbury has enough potential to be a stand-alone city,” Mr Guy said. “An excision from Hume should be straightforward.”
He said he didn’t think another plebiscite on whether Sunbury should split from Hume council was required, as the Liberal government carried one out in 2013.
That poll showed residents favoured a split, but the Andrews government abandoned the idea in October, 2015, after independent auditors advised against it, claiming it would come at a significant financial cost to residents.
Mr Guy said the move would be financially viable, comparing Sunbury to Nillumbik, which became a municipality in 1994.
“Sunbury is larger than Nillumbik – it’s more sustainable,” he said. “If it can work in Nillumbik it can work in Sunbury.”
Mr Guy said he had not recently been in contact with Hume council about the issue.
Sunbury Labor MP Josh Bull said he would continue pushing for the current government to remove the Gap Road level crossing.
