Elsie Lange
Overgrown roundabouts inhibiting visibility along Macedon Street, an arterial road in Sunbury, is one of the reasons Hume council is asking the state government to pick up its game when it comes to maintaining state roads.
Sunbury resident Michael Dyer witnessed a minor accident on the roundabout at Evans and Macedon streets in Sunbury on Thursday, November 10, because drivers couldn’t see through the bushes.
“I was travelling south towards Tullamarine Freeway and I was behind a blue Holden Commodore… a car travelling south went around the roundabout and the Commodore hit his quarter panel,” Mr Dyer said.
“They got out and exchanged details, [the driver] said ‘I’m sorry, I couldn’t see you, because of all the weeds in the roundabout’.
“The other driver said, ‘I couldn’t see either’, I said ‘I don’t blame you, I can’t see’.”
At a meeting last month, council voted to ask the government provide extra funding to improve Hume roadsides, and ask the Municipal Association of Victoria to advocate to the government for additional road maintenance across the state.
According to a report to council, Hume was responsible for maintaining roadside vegetation for 20 arterial roads in the region until 2019, when Major Roads Projects Victoria (MRPV) advised council it would take over.
“An assessment of council undertaking additional maintenance on these roadsides has identified that the cost for council would be approximately $640,000 per annum,” the report said.
Jacksons Creek ward councillor Jack Medcraft said maintenance of arterial roads around Sunbury was “appalling”, and said he had contacted the Department of Transport (DoT) about the exact roundabout Mr Dyer witnessed the accident.
“I contacted [DoT]… I reported the roundabout at Macedon and Evans streets because it was a safety issue, because of the lack of visibility due to the weeds,” he said.
“The safety of people travelling across our state cannot be compromised and that is why we maintain our road and road assets year round. Our crews are out regularly inspecting roads across the Hume region.”
A DoT spokesperson said crews were out regularly inspecting roads across the Hume region and encouraged the community to report hazards to the department.
