NO SAFETY improvements have been made to one of Wyndham’s worst level crossings, despite it being the site of three accidents in 13 days last year.
On May 25, 2012, a Truganina woman, 65, died on Werribee’s Cherry Street crossing after a freight train hit a car in which she was a passenger.
At the time, police said the car had become stuck on the tracks when a car in front of it broke down.
The fatality was followed by two other accidents at the crossing within a fortnight – a woman in her 20s was hit by a city-bound train while crossing the tracks late at night, and a boom gate came down on a car, resulting in morning peak-hour delays.
In April this year, train drivers said the crossing was one of the worst in the state, including it in a list of the 10 most-dangerous level crossings.
Road safety advocate and former Wyndham mayor Kim McAliney said it was time the crossing was grade separated to improve safety and reduce road congestion.
Ms McAliney said it would be difficult for anyone to forget last year’s fatality on what was supposed to be a cautious day on Wyndham’s roads. May 25, known as Fatality Free Friday, was a chance for the city to go one day without a serious road accident. ‘‘The crossing is one of the crossings most in need of grade separation, but most of the separations are happening on the other side of town.”
Public Transport Victoria is waiting for investigations to finish before it decides whether to make a case for separating Cherry Street. A spokeswoman said the crossing was fully protected with flashing lights, bells and boom gates.
