Almost 700 people have joined a new Facebook group calling for the state government to address the “dire state” of Whittlesea’s roads as a matter of urgency.
The group – Dire state of infrastructure in Northern suburbs of Melbourne – was created last month by a group of residents fed up with traffic congestion in the northern suburbs.
They are asking for the government to fix key roads, such as Plenty, Epping and Bridge Inn roads, and to commit to building the E6as a freeway in the near future.
Admins Anna Graham and Gaurav Surati said residents felt the government had no long-term plan for the area.
Ms Graham, who lives in Mernda, said she believes there was a perception that Whittlesea’s roads did not need to be ungraded because the Mernda rail extension would help get cars off the roads.
However, she is concerned that not enough people will use the train to improve the congestion that plagues the area.
“We have been so left behind by governments … driving from Mernda to Bundoora can take two hours on a bad day because of the sheer number of people trying to get on the ring road at Plenty Road,” Ms Graham said.
“We need the government to act now – the traffic affects property prices because who wants to live in Mernda? … Nobody.”
Mr Surati, who is soon moving to Mernda, said the high number of people who have joined the Facebook group since it started showed that residents were fed up with the traffic.
The state government has already allocated up to $139.4 million to upgrade Plenty Road.
Stage one of the project will begin later this year and will add an extra lane to Plenty Road in each direction, between Mckimmies Road and Bush Boulevard.
No date has been set for stage two.
Roads Minister Luke Donnellan said the government was improving safety and reducing congestion for the thousands of drivers who travel in Melbourne’s north every day.
But he did not say if the government would commit to upgrade other roads in Whittlesea.
