A spate of accidents on a Bundoora thoroughfare has prompted Whittlesea council to conduct a road safety audit.
Botanica Boulevard resident Nicole Mackowiak took to Facebook to air her concerns about the busy residential street after coming home earlier this month to find her retaining wall had been crashed into. Just two weeks earlier, a pedestrian sign nearby had been knocked over “by a hoon”.
She said that despite adjoining a park and being the site of a Route 564 bus stop for passengers heading to South Morang train station, the street was used as a speedway.
On the day her front retaining wall was hit by a car, another car was struck by a van speeding around the corner. Just five minutes later, she said, “two more cars spun out” and one of them hit the bus stop sign.
“It’s such a dangerous corner that drivers don’t even have to be going at crazy speeds to lose control. Especially on wet days,” she posted online.
Ms Mackowiak said there hade been at least half a dozen car accidents in the ast few years in the street.
Whittlesea council’s director of infrastructure and technology, Nick Mann, said the council has been made aware of an increasing number of road safety incidents along Botanica Boulevard.
“As a result, council will undertake an investigation and carry out a road safety audit along Botanica Boulevard to determine appropriate measures that can be made to improve pedestrian and road users safety,” he said.
Police sergeant John Liddell, based at Mill Park station, said he wasn’t aware of Botanica Boulevard as a “hoon” hotspot, but hooning was prevalent across the north.
He said Brand Drive, Thomastown, was the most popular drag racing strip known to police. “Unfortunately, they congregate there because it’s an industrial area with many exits,” Sergeant Liddell said.
“When police arrive, 300 cars can disappear within two minutes.”
Bundoora highway patrol was unavailable for comment.
