Bellarine roads targeted in safety upgrade

SPEED limits will be lowered, and new pedestrian crossings installed across the Bellarine Peninsula as part of a $965,000 road safety project.

A $750,000 overhaul has been allocated to the intersection at Harding Street and Pier Street in Portarlington.

The site will receive a new roundabout, raised pedestrian crossings and a permanent reduction in speed limit to slow down passing motorists.

Further inland, a $215,000 investment will target Clifton Springs Road in Drysdale, funding a new raised priority crossing alongside a corresponding speed limit reduction.

Bellarine MP Alison Marchant said the upgrades would drastically improve daily conditions for residents.

“These safety upgrades will improve connectivity for all road users and create safer, easier access for pedestrians and local residents,” she said.

The works are part of a fresh $28.7 million funding injection into the state government’s Safe Local Roads and Streets Program, which is delivering 100 targeted safety upgrades across Victoria.

“Pedestrians and cyclists are over-represented in serious injuries on local roads and this program is aimed at reducing risk where it’s needed most, making everyday trips safer for all road users – particularly those that are more vulnerable,” Transport Accident Commission chief executive Tracey Slatter said.

Local roads account for roughly 87 per cent of Victoria’s total road network.

The initiatives form part of Victoria’s broader Road Safety Strategy, which carries a target to halve road deaths by 2030 and eliminate them entirely by 2050.