By TOM HAYES
MOE’S infamous roundabout, that bridges over the railway line, has been the centre of concern for locals, who are fed up with the lack of safety on offer.
The roundabout intersects High Street, Lloyd St, Anzac St, and Narracan Drive, and has two lanes – causing merging issues, which is apparently the tip of the iceberg when it comes to traffic complications.
The Express spoke to a Moe resident who has lived in close quarters to the roundabout itself for more than a decade, hearing many of the incidents as they occur.
The Moe resident highlighted many issues that they believe have led to an incident being caused, stating: “everyone has a story (at the roundabout), and they shouldn’t”.
Firstly mentioned was the lack of visible signage, not only when it gets dark, but also throughout many portions of the year when trees and bushes begin to overgrow and aren’t maintained properly.
Not only do the overgrown trees and bushes prevent a driver’s ability to see signage, but it also prevents them from seeing the entire intersection, blocking a driver’s view of the entire roundabout.
These factors have led to many close calls, which force drivers to beep their horn, which not only forces other drivers to panic, but is seen as a disturbance to residents within close proximity.
From a pedestrian’s perspective, there is a lack of safety on footpaths, which are primarily used for Lloyd and High St residents walking toward Woolworths and surrounds.
The curved curbs from the road to the footpath would allow cars to mount the curb in the instance of avoiding an incident. And with no railing to protect pedestrians, this presented another concern from residents.
The Moe resident reached out to Transport Victoria, raising their concerns, to which Transport Victoria was supportive of enhancing warning signage as well as refresh existing lines on the road, replacing missing raised reflective pavement markers.
Signage improvements are set to begin at the roundabout, including advance warning signs, unidirectional hazard markers, duplicated roundabout signs, and larger ‘One Way’ signs.
“Over the coming weeks, crews will be out upgrading signage at this intersection to improve safety for the community,” a Department of Transport and Planning spokesperson told the Express earlier this month.
Despite this, the Moe resident felt their concerns were not properly heard, once again outlining visibility with plants preventing drivers from seeing the entire intersection and the curb presenting a danger to pedestrians.
The Moe resident then called upon their Latrobe City councillors Sharon Gibson (Deputy Mayor, Newborough Ward) and Adele Pugsley (Moe Ward), mentioning the same concerns.
Deputy Mayor Gibson followed up with the request, receiving an interim response that read: “The main roundabout in Moe and intersections feeding the roundabout are assets of Vic Roads, additionally the area within the roundabout is largely under the control of V/Line with a permit requirement to carry out works in this area”.
“In the short term I have registered requests for additional safety measures and signage with Vic Roads for action,” the response continued.
“As further vegetation removal occurs within areas outside of council’s control, I will provide a further update on these requests and any additional information at the earliest opportunity.”
Cr Pugsley was provided with a final response in January 2025, which stated that the ‘Wrong Way Go Back’ sign opposite Anzac St had been scheduled to clear vegetation impeding the sight of the sign.
She was also provided with an image (below), displaying what areas fell into certain responsibilities, for clarity’s sake.
According to the Moe locals, it doesn’t seem to make a difference if drivers who gets caught up in incidents are locals or tourists, with both getting involved just as much as the other.
Latrobe Highway Patrol recorded zero incidents at the intersection since the start of 2024, although, its records rely on incidents that involve injury.
According to Moe Taxis, one of their vehicles was involved in an incident at the roundabout last year.
Speaking to the Express was Moe Taxi driver, Darren Mercer, who has driven taxis in Moe for more than two decades.
Last year, he was involved in an incident with a driver who went the wrong way around the roundabout.
“I was coming off of High St into the roundabout, and was just on the crest… heading towards Anzac St… that’s where it happened,” he said.
“You can’t see because there’s trees around the roundabout in the centre, so you couldn’t see if something was coming the other way.
“An elderly gentleman came around the wrong way from Narracan Dr… he came around at about 60 kilometres an hour and smashed straight into me.”
Mr Mercer spoke on the danger that poses to motorists if anyone from out of town gets confused by the intersection.
“For anybody that comes from out of town that doesn’t understand that roundabout, that’s a death trap for other people,” he added.
Cars have been known to cut across from Anzac St to Lloyd St, and Lloyd St to High St going in the wrong direction.
In on-peak times, the roundabout becomes much more dangerous, according to the Moe resident, who said they have witnessed “countless” near misses.
During peak hours of the day, morning and evening, as well as peak hours of the year – public holidays, school holidays, honking of the horn is much more present, according to the Moe resident.
