Hume council will explore safety and maintenance upgrades for Forest Red Gum Drive in Mickelham, following mounting concerns from residents over the road’s increasing traffic volumes.
Originally designed for significantly lower usage, the road has seen a dramatic surge in vehicles following its extension into new housing developments, a report to the February 24 council meeting stated.
Reports suggest that over 10,000 vehicles use the road daily, with many exceeding the speed limit, according to councillor Daniel English.
Cr English said the road was previously used by under 500 vehicles, and the increase in vehicles using the road is putting people at risk.
“Forest Red Gum was designed as a rural country road and now due to the Mickelham West [precinct structure plan] opening by the state government, the road is now home to thousands of residents,” he said.
The council is now looking to deliver a major road upgrade and address these safety issues.
“We need to fast-track the construction as quickly as we can for our ratepayers, I believe this was brought up by a lot of the councillors that are sitting here today in 2021, Cr English said.
“Trying to explain to friends on the weekend about why construction was taking so long, it didn’t pass the pub test.
“That’s when I decided the amendment needs to be made and we need to bring it forward, so I hope all the councillors can support the recommendation to do that.”
Cr Ally Watson said it’s clear the road has become increasingly unsafe.
“I’ve heard significant concerns from Mickleham residents about this road,” she said.
“It is no longer a rural road.”
Cr Sam Misho said the issue spoke to a wider problem in the region, relating to the surge in population growth.
“The problem with the north is our infrastructure just isn’t there, we are growing that fast and our infrastructure is not keeping up.”
