Work starts on turbo roundabout for Torquay North

WORK has started to create a new kind of roundabout at the intersection of the Surf Coast Highway and South Beach Road, with construction expected to be complete by the middle of next year.

The “turbo roundabout” in Torquay North will be a Victorian first, with raised kerbs to make motorists keep in their lane while approaching the roundabout.

“With a normal roundabout with two lanes, you can sort of zig-zag through across the lanes at high speed, but this allows people to slow down as they approach the roundabout, and is seen as a big safety improvement as the next sort of innovative treatment,” Regional Roads Victoria south-west regional director Mark Koliba said.

The turbo roundabout also includes dedicated cycling lanes, including a space where cyclists could wait to turn right, similar to Melbourne’s famous hook turns.

“We’re keen to see how that performs; we’ve done a lot of consultation with cycling groups,” Mr Koliba said.

Land has been acquired and cleared for the roundabout, and the next stage will be to relocate power poles before work pauses over the Christmas period.

Roads Minister Luke Donnellan and Labor candidate for South Barwon Darren Cheeseman visited the site last week.

Mr Donnellan said road safety projects such as the roundabout had made a difference in reducing the number of fatal accidents this year, particularly on country roads.

“A lot of the time, that relates to centreline and sideline wire rope flexible safety barriers. Some people don’t like the change, but let’s be honest – they’re around to actually get grumpy about the change because those barriers stop people having head-ons or going into trees.”

The roundabout is being jointly funded by the Transport Accident Commission ($2.5 million) and the Surf Coast Shire ($800,000).