Consituency Question:

Asked: 10 March 2022

My constituency question is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. On 15 February this year we saw a fatal car crash on the corner of Stokes Road and the Murray Valley Highway in Strathmerton. The driver of one vehicle died and two police officers in the other were seriously injured. I visited the site on Monday. It is has Labuan Road opposite Stokes Road, a rise immediately before the intersection from an old railway line only a very short distance to give any visibility of the highway and if motorists are travelling too fast they just will not see that intersection. It has only got a give-way sign on it at the moment, so will the government take steps to have this intersection assessed with a view to installing some stop signs and rumble strips and take whatever steps are necessary to make it safe urgently?

Answer

Answered: 29 March 2022

I thank the Member for her question. I am sorry to hear of this tragic incident and my thoughts are with those involved.

Following any incident of this nature, a comprehensive fatal accident review is undertaken in conjunction with Victoria Police and the responsible road authority. In this case, the crash took place at the intersection of Labuan Road, which is managed by Moira Shire Council, and the Goulburn Valley Highway, which is managed by Regional Roads Victoria (RRV). RRV met with Victoria Police on 22 February 2022.

The investigation did note some issues regarding visibility at the intersection. The Goulburn Valley Highway/ Labuan Road intersection currently is sign-posted from Labuan Road, with advanced Reduced Speed signs at 240 metres followed by Give Way signs posted at 200 metres distance from the intersection of Goulburn Valley Highway.

Given the tragic events that occurred in February I have asked DoT to work with Moira Shire to explore options to further improve safety at this location.