Safety upgrade for Inverleigh level crossing

THE State Government is set to change signage at Inverleigh’s Fuller Road level crossing to improve road safety as part of the State-Wide Level Crossing Upgrade Program.

Other than standard railway crossing signage, there is currently only a basic stop sign warning drivers and pedestrians to stop and assess whether a train is nearby. This sign can be difficult to see at night and in fog.

Although some change is planned, Terrier Road Action Committee’s Terry Fraser said his advocacy group is “frustrated.”

“We don’t get sense that the Government is actually hearing our concerns about how dangerous the Fuller Road, and Terrier Road crossings are,” he said.

“We’re asking for lights and bells to be installed to give drivers fair warning that there’s a train approaching. Trains are going at maximum running speeds through these level crossings… which go over sealed residential roads.

“There was a train-car accident in 2020, and we believe It’s just a matter of time before there’s another one, and possibly it could be fatal. These level crossings were created for a sleepy little line but these days it’s the main inter-state line between Melbourne and Perth.”

Member for Western Victoria Stuart Grimley said he raised the Fuller Road crossing with Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan last November, and advocated for “additional road safety measures.”

“The signage at this particular crossing has been terrible for so long. It is great that it will finally be upgraded, but this isn’t an overnight fix, and there’s more to do to make the level crossing safer,” Mr Grimley said.

“When the Terrier Road Action Committee came to me about this issue, I knew something had to be done. The fact that locals had said the crossing should have been fixed five years ago was extremely disappointing.

“I’ll continue to advocate on behalf of the community to get extra safety measures put in place.”

Ms Allan said the Level Crossing Upgrade Program works are planned for “this financial year.”

The Action Committee will be asking for a copy of the level crossing assessment document to review.