Deans Marsh road safety concerns canvassed

PEOPLE from the Deans Marsh area have outlined their wishlists for fixing traffic, pedestrian and cycling issues at workshops in the town last week.

Regional Roads Victoria (RRV) hosted the two community road safety workshops at the Deans Marsh Community Hall on March 27 following requests from local road safety advocates.

Participants at the workshops suggested several improvements to road safety in the area, including safer stopping and crossing areas at the bus stops that take high school students to and from Deans Marsh, some way of lowering the speed of traffic that passes through Deans Marsh, the need to improve the quality of road surfacing, a call for wider road shoulders to make it safer for cyclists, and more signs encouraging users of Deans Marsh-Lorne Road to share the road.

RRV’s Kimberly Adams said the road authority was already considering some kind of speed threshold treatment for drivers approaching the outskirts of Deans Marsh, as a recent speed count for the town detected the 85th percentile speed for traffic travelling through the 60kmh zone was significantly higher, at 78 kmh.

RRV south western regional engagement manager Fiona Simpson encouraged the community to keep contacting RRV with issues that needed addressing.

“To make the case for change, you need to have data.”