By Jessica Micallef
A petition calling for upgrades to the Calder Highway has received more than 1450 signatures in its first week.
The campaign, run by activist group Fix the Calder, has received support from residents in Sunbury, Diggers Rest, Taylors Hill, Taylors Lakes, Riddells Creek, Bendigo, Melton, Plumpton, Trentham and Caroline Springs since it was launched on February 28.
Sunbury resident and Fix the Calder campaigner Chris O’Neill, a daily user of the freeway, said he was happy with the response.
Mr O’Neill said building a Calder Park Drive overpass on to the freeway was his top priority.
“I also want to get three lanes up to Sunbury and have the two river bridges widened so we can get better traffic flow,” he said
The petition advocates upgrades to the freeway between the M80 Ring Road and Melton Highway by adding additional lanes from Keilor Park Drive to Melton Highway; widening the Maribyrnong River Bridge; grade-separating the Sunbury train line at Calder Park Drive; and widening the freeway to three lanes in both directions at the exit at Vineyard Road, Sunbury.
In February, the federal government announced $50 million would go towards upgrading the Calder Freeway, including adding extra lanes between Gap Road, Sunbury, and the M80 Ring Road.
But Mr O’Neill is not satisfied.
“I think this is more of an insult than actually figuring out the problem … it’s not good enough,” he said. “We’ve been fighting this fight for seven years.”
See the petition at fixthecalder.com
