By AIDAN KNIGHT

 

LATROBE City Council has renewed pressure on the state government to activate long-dormant traffic lights at a busy Traralgon intersection, with councillors warning the delay is putting lives at risk.

Jeeralang Ward Councillor Joanne Campbell moved a passionate motion at last month’s council meeting on the urgent activation of the dormant traffic lights located at the Bank Street intersection near the Traralgon Golf Club.

Seconded by Deputy Mayor Dale Harriman (Loy Yang), Cr Campbell asked that council formally write to Ministers for Public and Active Transport Gabrielle Williams and Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne, to request that the continuously postponed activation of the signalling infrastructure be prioritised immediately.

She also asked that the state government be required to provide a delivery schedule from each agency involved in the shared responsibilities of the system coming online, in detail.

“So many of our residents have come up (to council), wanting to know when the lights are going to be ready,” Cr Campbell told peers and the gallery.

“It’s coming up to eight years very soon.”

Cr Campbell referenced the project intended to improve safety, whose desired outcome has not been achieved but has been undermined by the state’s apparent lack of drive to follow through, leading to ageing and damaged infrastructure that was never put to use, and taxpayers still had to shell out for. She also referenced a serious incident from July 2024 that occurred between a bus and another vehicle at the intersection in question. A 39-year old operating the car was taken to hospital, with non-life-threatening injuries, and the bus driver and 20 students under their car were not injured.

“These incidents have occurred despite interim measures, which include reduced speed limits,” Cr Campbell went on to say.

“We have a section of road that goes from 80 to 60 back up to 70 all within one kilometre. Not ideal for a highway.” She reiterated her call to the ministers to, “complete commissioning the intersection. We want a clear timeline, every year it gets pushed back, and we’re not getting the answers we deserve in our community.”

The Jeeralang Ward councillor revealed she had independently written to Melissa Horne before the meeting, and was told “by the end of 2026”, which she felt was too vague.

Cr Harriman was bolder with his words, opening with the statement, “You’d like to say this is an accident waiting to happen, but they’re already happening.”

The Deputy Mayor has witnessed an eight-car pileup as a result of the unsafe intersection himself.

“The rumour mill in Traralgon is going full boar,” he said candidly, which he post-faced by saying he does not usually entertain or care for unverified gossip in a governmental capacity.

“The rumours are that it’s being held off until September, for the state election, and that’s just not good enough.”

“I look at Moe and the Waterloo (road) intersection and think the same thing,” he continued, “is it going to take someone getting killed? Those lights are ready to go, it’s been going on since about 2019.

“Turn the bloody things on now and avoid a death.”

Mayor Sharon Gibson acknowledged the more colourful language than usual brought to a meeting, but did not see it fit to give a warning.

Tyers Ward Councillor Darren Howe also spoke on the motion.

“Well overdue,” he said.

“I think the state government should show our community a bit of respect and give us an accurate explanation and timeline for this – and while you’re at it can you let us know when the Kosciuszko Street railway underpass (…) when is that getting delivered?”

The mentioned works were included in the same project.

The motion was carried unanimously.