Speaking out: State Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell is calling for safety improvements to be made at the intersection of Labuan Rd and the Murray Valley Hwy near Strathmerton.
A northern Victorian MP wants significant upgrades made at a Strathmerton intersection that claimed five lives, including the installation of permanent flashing lights and the removal of a rise in the road.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
State Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell is calling on the Victorian Government to make the changes to the intersection at Labuan Rd and the Murray Valley Hwy.
Five people were killed at the intersection in a crash on Thursday, April 20, after a car allegedly drove through a ‘give way’ sign on Labuan Rd, hitting a ute which was then involved in a collision with a truck on the highway.
Ms Lovell visited the site on Wednesday, April 26, to see it for herself, and plans to raise the issue in Victorian Parliament on Tuesday.
Temporary traffic measures have been implemented to slow traffic down on both roads, with temporary 60km/h signs put in place on both Labuan Rd and the Murray Valley Hwy.
Temporary ‘intersection ahead reduce speed’ signs have also been erected on Labuan Rd as motorists approach the intersection.
Ms Lovell, however, wants more permanent measures.
One of the biggest issues is what she describes as a “hump” in the road on Labuan Rd only about 20m from the intersection.
It is leftover from an old railway track that used to run through the area.
However, what the rise now does is obstruct a driver’s view of the Murray Valley Hwy ahead until they reach the top of it.
Repair needed: The most deteriorated of the three sets of rumble strips on Labuan Rd on the approach to the Murray Valley Hwy.
Ms Lovell said she would be asking the government to remove it, so the road was flat.
“It creates a dangerous intersection because it restricts visibility,” she said.
Ms Lovell also wants permanent flashing warning lights installed on Labuan Rd in the lead-up to the intersection, similar to those on the Goulburn Valley Hwy leading up to where it meets the Murray Valley Hwy on the opposite side of Strathmerton.
She is also going to ask the state government to resurface part of the road and to restore some of the rumple strips on Labuan Rd.
Ms Lovell said currently there were three sections of rumble strips on Labuan Rd in the lead-up to the intersection but some had deteriorated over time and needed to be replaced.
“The rumble strips are going part-way across the road so they are not as effective as they should be,” she said.
“The three sections should be okay if they were in good condition.”
Ms Lovell also believes a stop sign should replace the current ‘give way’ sign on Labuan Rd.
“This intersection has proven to be a dangerous intersection,” Ms Lovell said.
“I will fight for the safety to be improved for the whole intersection.”
