Yuroke MP Ros Spence has vowed to keep fighting for upgrades to Mickleham and Somerton roads.
The busy arterial roads were left out of a $2.2 billion state budget pledge to upgrade 13 arterial roads across the northern and south-eastern suburbs, with the government instead spending money on Craigieburn, Sunbury, Epping, Childs and Bridge Inn roads.
A new petition began circulating last month, calling for the government to prioritise the duplication of Mickleham and Somerton roads because of “increased traffic volumes and ongoing safety issues”, while another petition is scheduled to be tabled in Parliament by Ms Spence when MPs return from their winter break.
Latest traffic counts reveal that Mickleham Road, north of Somerton Road, is used by about 24,000 vehicles each day. In 2015, it was used by about 21,000 vehicles daily.
Somerton Road between Magnolia Boulevard and Roxburgh Park Drive is used by about 28,000 vehicles daily, up from 27,000 in 2015.
Ms Spence said she had already presented six other petitions to Parliament calling for the roads to be duplicated.
“As a Greenvale resident, I am a regular user of Mickleham and Somerton roads and I know they need to be fixed,” she said.
“I will continue to advocate for the need to duplicate these roads until we get the projects funded.”
Traffic and safety on Mickleham Road has long been a concern for Greenvale and Craigieburn residents, as well as Aitken College staff and parents.
