Group to direct town’s traffic issues

A NEW community road safety committee will be set up in Buninyong aiming to develop ideas to reduce road risk along the Midland Highway hill and at the village’s main roundabout.

The State Government is contributing $150,000 to the project that aims to bring together perspectives of Buninyong and District Community Association members, freight and logistics professionals, City of Ballarat staffers, Victoria Police, and a local Traffic Action Group.

Member for Buninyong, Michaela Settle, said the formation of a road safety committee is something BDCA members have asked for.

“There have been issues at this roundabout, and on this road, so a community road safety advisory group will look at the options… and find the safety solutions,” she said.

“The community needs safety outcomes, and within the budget there will be money to take three concepts to drawing stage.

“With talk of the Link Road, the community have been concerned. Is it going to funnel more… trucks into Buninyong? They want to find solutions to make sure traffic is slowed, calmed, and safer for all.”

The BDCA has its own Traffic Advisory Group, convened by Robert Elshaug, and he said the new committee will be a positive step towards a safer village, after 16 years of lobbying.

“Buninyong is divided by the Midland Highway, with the community equally set on both sides. The school is on the south side, and we have commercial and residential areas on both sides,” he said.

“The safety of our community is paramount… but except for the school crossing when it’s in action, pedestrians up the hill have no legal access across the Midland Highway.

“Hopefully now we’ll have some action, look at suggestions made in the 2018 feasibility study, and come up with some short and medium-term projects to reinforce the issue of safety.”

Mr Elshaug said the BDCA Traffic Advisory Group’s priorities are to slow and reduce heavy vehicle traffic and reduce speed limits to make the highway safer for everyone, particularly children.

Department of Transport Grampians region director Michael Bailey said the solutions designed by the committee may be tailored.

“There’s a balance we need to find for this community. We’ll work through costings, and then put it up through the bid process,” he said. “We need to take a longer-term view here.

“We’re also doing some work at the school crossing that will come into play,”

Earlier this year, a truck travelling down the Midland Highway and into the village from became out-of-control and ran through the Warrenheip Street roundabout.

The truck driver dodged traffic but ran off the road and crashed between the Crown Hotel and the old post office.

Weeks before that indecent a truck tipped over in the same roundabout, spilling its contents.

New signage to warn vehicles approaching the village to slow down was installed by Regional Roads Victoria not long after those events.