State Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell has called out the Victorian Government for its failure to take action to improve safety at the notorious intersection of Labuan Rd and the Murray Valley Hwy at Strathmerton.
In a constituency question to Roads and Road Safety Minister Melissa Horne in parliament, Ms Lovell said no significant work had been completed to improve safety at the intersection, nearly four months since a horrendous collision tragically claimed the lives of five people in what was named Victoria’s worst collision in 11 years.
Cobram’s Debbie Markey, 60, and four international workers — three women and a man who were all aged in their 20s and from Asian countries, Pin-Yu Wang, Hsin-Yu Chen, Wai Yan Lam and Zih-Yao Chen — died in a crash between a car, ute and truck at the intersection on April 20.
The car involved in the crash was travelling on Labuan Rd and allegedly did not stop at the intersection.
Ms Lovell raised the need for immediate action with Ms Horne on May 2, listing a number of measures that if completed would immediately improve safety at the intersection.
Ms Lovell said while Ms Horne’s response indicated that any short- or long-term improvements would progress as soon as possible, she said it was inexcusable that the government had failed to carry out any work to make the intersection significantly safer for motorists.
Currently, there are temporary speed signs and flashing boards at the intersection to get motorists on Labuan Rd and Murray Valley Hwy to slow down to 60km/h in that area.
Ms Lovell sought an assurance from Ms Horne that she would ensure the immediate start of work to implement safety upgrades, predominately in Labuan Rd to improve safety at the intersection.
“After the horrific collision in April, it is unacceptable that the Andrews Government has failed to take any significant action to make one of Victoria’s most dangerous intersections safer for motorists,” Ms Lovell said.
“The Labuan Rd-Murray Valley Hwy intersection needs to be upgraded immediately, and I call on the minister to take urgent action and get these safety measures completed.”
The minister’s department said the matter was “progressing”.
The Coroner’s Court will investigate the fatal collision, as well as another fatality at the same intersection in February last year where Tasmanian man Kerry Rushton died in a crash between his Toyota HiAce van and an unmarked police vehicle.
A direction’s hearing was held in the Coroner’s Court in late May.
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