Michaela Meade
A Hume councillor has called on the council to investigate way to improve traffic flow on Aitken Boulevard.
Cr Carly Moore last week asked council officers to prepare a briefing on ways the council can improve the road between Craigieburn and Somerton roads.
Her motion follows upped police patrols as far back as 2016, amid community concerns about drivers ignoring the road’s 60km/h speed limit.
Fawkner Highway Patrol Senior Sergeant Yvonne Upton said at the time that police were catching people driving at excessive speeds, with most driving at 80km/h or more.
Senior Sergeant Upton said the road’s speed limit had been set at 60km/h because it was a single-lane carriageway, with no dividing barrier,
“If it has a higher speed limit and we have a head-on collision, we will have people with serious injuries,” she said.
In 2018, a 21-year-old Campbellfield man died and five people were rushed to hospital after a collision on the corner of Aitken Boulevard and Lysterfield Drive.
Speaking last week, Cr Moore said she had serious concerns about the road.
“This is a road that I use often and so I can sympathise with the residents who find the condition on this road frustrating,” she said.
“I do wonder… whether there are opportunities for council to work towards improving the congestion by looking at things like signalling and turning lanes.
“[My motion] is really seeking officer feedback on what council can do to improve the congestion.”
Cr Overend supported the motion, and said the road is a “nightmare and it’s only going to get worse.”
“We really need to start looking at making changes and making it better for the residents to use.”
