Wyndham council has thrown down the gauntlet to the state government, urging it to match its commitment to relieve congestion on Point Cook’s most congested roads.
At last Monday night’s meeting, councillors voted in favour of allocating $3 million for the first stage of works on Palmers Road, south of the Princes Freeway.
The works include a transit lane during the morning peak on the west side of Palmers Road, from Dunnings Road to the Skeleton Creek bridge; a dedicated bus lane on the south side of Dunnings Road from Shaftsbury Boulevard to Palmers Road and in the north-west section of the Palmers and Dunnings roads intersection; and pedestrian and bicycle network improvements.
The transit lane would operate on weekdays between 6.30 and 9.30am for buses and cars with two or more passengers (including a driver), with indented bays provided at bus stops abutting the lane.
The works’ costs have been estimated at about $6 million, with the council also providing $100,000 from its Get Wyndham Moving campaign to address the need for safe pedestrian access from Point Cook to Williams Landing railway station.
Council officers first discussed with VicRoads the need for a solution to traffic problems on Palmers Road, south of the freeway, in 2013.
The roads authority then developed a three-stage strategy that recommends a series of works over 15 years costing an estimated $21.9 million, including $9.7 million for the first stage.
But a council report stated the package of works had been scaled back based on “transport priorities and the availability of funds”, with the overall project dependent on securing funds in May’s state budget.
Ahead of a meeting with mayor Peter Maynard and Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan tomorrow, council transport portfolio chairman Glenn Goodfellow urged the government to come to the party, while defending the Get Wyndham Moving campaign from recent community criticism.
“Many people have seen [Get Wyndham Moving] as a waste of time, but projects like this show we’re prepared to address the transport needs of our residents,” Cr Goodfellow said.
“We call on the state government to work with us.”
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